Failure to pay tax.
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 143.751
in effect143.751. Failure to pay tax. — 1. If any part of a deficiency is due to negligence or intentional disregard of rules and regulations (but without intent to defraud) there shall be added to the tax an amount equal to five percent of the deficiency. The director shall apprise the taxpayer of the factual basis for the finding of negligence, or the specific rules or regulations disregarded, at the time the director issues a proposed assessment. Rules and regulations which have been determined to be inconsistent with the laws of this state, by either the courts of this state or the administrative hearing commission, may not be cited as the basis for an addition to tax under this section.
2. If any part of a deficiency is due to fraud, there shall be added to the tax an amount equal to fifty percent of the deficiency. This amount shall be in lieu of any amount determined under subsection 1 of this section.
3. If any employer, without intent to evade or defeat any tax imposed by sections 143.011 to 143.996 or the payment thereof, shall fail to make a return and pay a tax withheld by him at the time required by or under the provisions of sections 143.011 to 143.996 , such employer shall be liable for such taxes and shall pay the same together with interest thereon and the addition to tax provided in subsection 1 of this section, and such interest and addition to tax shall not be charged to or collected from the employee by the employer. The director of revenue shall have the same rights and powers for the collection of such tax, interest, and addition to tax against such employer as are now prescribed by sections 143.011 to 143.996 for the collection of tax against an individual taxpayer.
4. Any person required to collect, truthfully account for, and pay over the tax imposed by sections 143.011 to 143.996 who willfully fails to collect such tax or truthfully account for and pay over such tax or willfully attempts in any manner to evade or defeat the tax or the payment thereof, shall, in addition to other penalties provided by law, be liable to a penalty equal to the total amount of the tax evaded, or not collected, or not accounted for and paid over. No addition to tax under subsections 1 and 2 of this section shall be imposed for any offense to which this subsection applies.
5. Any person who with fraudulent intent shall fail to pay, or to deduct or withhold and pay, any tax, or to make, render, sign, or certify any return, or to supply any information within the time required by or under sections 143.011 to 143.996 , shall be liable to a penalty of not more than one thousand dollars, in addition to any other amounts required under sections 143.011 to 143.996 , to be imposed, assessed and collected by the director of revenue.
6. For purposes of subsections 4 and 5 of this section, the term "persons" includes an individual, corporation, or partnership, or an officer or employee of any corporation (including a dissolved corporation), or a member or employee of any partnership, who, as such officer, employee, or member, is under a duty to perform the act in respect of which the violation occurs.
(L. 1972 S.B. 549, A.L. 1998 H.B. 1301) (1980) Section providing that failure by employer to timely make return and pay tax withheld renders employer liable for such taxes with interest and addition to tax as provided in separate subsection of same statute authorizes imposition of addition to tax only if part of deficiency is due to negligence or intentional disregard of rules and regulations. Goldberg v. Administrative Hearing Commission (Mo.), 609 S.W.2d 140.
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=143.751Fetched: 10/17/2026