U.S. flag An official website of the United States government.

Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites always use a .gov or .mil domain. Before sharing sensitive information online, make sure you’re on a .gov or .mil site by inspecting your browser's address (or "location") bar.

SSL

This site is also protected by an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate that's been signed by the U.S. government. The https:// means all transmitted data is encrypted  — in other words, any information or browsing history that you provide is transmitted securely.

Tag: Alabama

Deadline Approaching in Alabama for SBA Working Capital Loans for Drought

  • October 16th, 2018

ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration is reminding small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations that Nov. 15 is the filing deadline for federal economic injury disaster loans in Alabama as a result of drought that began on Jan. 30, 2018.

The SBA’s disaster declaration includes the following counties: Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Chilton, Coosa, Cullman, Etowah, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Jefferson, Lamar, Marion, Perry, Pickens, Saint Clair, Shelby, Sumter, Talladega, Tuscaloosa, Walker and Winston in Alabama.

Under this declaration, the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program is available to eligible farm-related and nonfarm-related entities that suffered financial losses as a direct result of this disaster. With the exception of aquaculture enterprises, SBA cannot provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers. Nurseries are eligible to apply for economic injury disaster loans for losses caused by drought conditions.

The loans are for working capital and can be up to $2 million with interest rates of 3.58 percent for eligible small businesses and 2.5 percent for nonprofit organizations, and terms up to 30 years.
Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at DisasterLoan.sba.gov.

Disaster loan information and application forms may also be obtained by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing) or by sending an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Loan applications can be downloaded from the SBA’s website at www.sba.gov. Completed applications should be mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

Completed loan applications must be returned to SBA no later than Nov. 15, 2018.

View the original press release here.

AMERICAN DREAM: AN INTERVIEW WITH OWNERS OF THE JALAPEÑOS MEXICAN GRILL RESTAURANTS

  • August 20th, 2018

For Jheovanny Gomez, the path to the American dream began by pursuing his high school sweetheart to Tuscaloosa.

In his native country of Colombia, his life choices were pursuing drug cartel members as an undercover Army intelligence operative, going to college there or following his love.

Love won.

In 1999, two years after his girlfriend moved to America, Jheovanny followed her and started college in Alabama while working as a busboy in the same restaurant his girlfriend’s parents worked.

“That was my job to pay for school” at Shelton State Community College, he said.

While working that college job, Jheovanny met Wayne Grimball.

“He was my customer. He called me and said, ‘Look I have this vision. I know there is potential to have a really good business in downtown. Do you want to be my partner?’ I didn’t hesitate. I said, ‘Absolutely.’ ”

Thus, began Jalapeños Mexican Grill. “We were just two kitchen people, myself and another waiter,” said Jheovanny. “We started with no reputation, with just experience in waiting tables. Six months down the road, we had people lining out the door. Two years later, we decided to build our own restaurant. We built the first restaurant in 2004 in Northport.”

Justin Grimball and Jheovanny Gomez in their Cottondale restaurant.

That is when Justin Grimball entered the business.

Like Jheovanny, Justin began pursuing the American dream when he was in college. While Justin was a student at the University of Alabama, he owned his own graphic design business, working with area bands and businesses.

“I was trying to figure out what I was going to do with my life,” said Justin, who studied criminal justice. He only uses that degree now for loss prevention and pursuit of worthless checks, some of his many duties at Jalapeños. His father brought Justin into the business when the Northport restaurant opened and after Justin had graduated from college.

Today, Wayne and Justin Grimball and Jheovanny Gomez own three Jalapeños Mexican Grills in TuscaloosaNorthport and Cottondale. They closed the downtown Tuscaloosa location in 2007.

Jheovanny is in all three restaurants, every single day. “I try to be at each restaurant during three different periods each day,” he said. The restaurants on Rose Boulevard in Northport, New Watermelon Road in Tuscaloosa and on Old Birmingham Highway in Cottondale, “are close together, but they are so different,” he said. Each has its own peak times and loyal customers.

Justin spends much of his time on social media, graphic design and branding for the three restaurants. It was Justin who had the idea for the restaurants’ mascots Jala and Peno and to incorporate them into the restaurant’s logo. Jala and Peno eventually became people-sized mascots who appear at community and restaurant events.

Jheovanny said Wayne and he leave any work associated with computers and technology to Justin. Justin said there is no typical day for him. “I’m in the office, in the restaurants, running errands or doing catering events,” he said.

“We’ve got a good partnership,” said Justin. Like Jheovanny, Justin also fell in love with a Colombian. He and his wife, Alexandra, have two daughters, Mariana and Lily.

Living the Dream and Giving Back To Community
Jheovanny, who learned English while waiting tables, has become ingrained in the Tuscaloosa community. He and his wife, Johana, are raising their three children – Jheovanny Jr., Josephine and Jacob – in their Alabama home.

“Jheovanny’s story about moving to the United States, following a beautiful woman, pouring his heart and soul into the American dream, starting a business and raising a family here, it has really been inspiring, not only for others who have followed a similar path, but also the people who are born and raised in Alabama and here in Tuscaloosa,” said Jim Page, president and chief executive officer of the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama. Jim said he met Jheovanny on his first day on the chamber job. “I was drawn to him because of his personality and outgoing nature, and you could tell everybody in the restaurant felt the same way.”

Even before Jheovanny was an American citizen, he was the chamber’s Member of the Year. He has served on the chamber board and executive committee, leading the charge for chamber recruitment. In 2016, he was named an Alabama Retailer of the Year. This year, he was named by SCORE, a network of volunteer business mentors, as one of the group’s American Small Business Champions.

Jheovanny accepts the gavel as board chairman of the Boys and Girls Club of West Alabama from his friend Alabama Labor Commissioner Fitzgerald Washington.

“Jheovanny sets the standard among the local business community as far as paying his civic rent, as far as being engaged and by leading by example. He is a role model for people who have been in business a lot longer than he has by the way he puts Jalapeños out there as being part of the community,” Page said.

For almost a decade, Jheovanny has served as board member for the Boys and Girls Club of West Alabama. This year, he is the board chairman. He said being involved in the program that provides homework and mentoring support for children from age 6 to 15 “became a passion for me.”

 

He has also spent time talking with students in the Junior Achievement League and career technical education programs in Tuscaloosa County. “They are the future of America,” Jheovanny said. “It is important to me, through my knowledge and experience as a business leader, to teach them and give them a little bit of knowledge about how to run a business, how to build good character.”

Small Business Advocate
Building up other businesses also appeals to Jheovanny.

Since 2014, he has served as a member of the Alabama Small Business Commission, which advises governmental entities on policies that encourage new businesses and expansion of existing businesses.

“I’m glad to be a liaison between the small business community and Montgomery,” said Jheovanny.

“I talk to all kind of retailers around town, not only restaurants, but grocery stores and small Mom and Pop shops” about business licenses, taxes and “a whole variety of business issues,” he said, adding it is an honor to be trusted to convey the concerns of small business to governmental leaders.

MEMBER SINCE 2005 The Jalapeños Mexican Grill restaurants on Rose Boulevard in Northport, New Watermelon Road in Tuscaloosa and on Old Birmingham Highway in Cottondale each have their own Facebook page. Together, they have about 10,000 followers.

Still Growing
As for his own business, “we are still in the growing mode, building our brand,” Jheovanny said. Both he and Justin mentioned the possibility of a fourth Tuscaloosa-area restaurant. “Right now, though, we are good just focusing on” improving the three current restaurants and expanding our customer base, Justin added.

“We are so blessed and so grateful for this community,” said Jheovanny. “Everybody has embraced us. Everywhere you go in Tuscaloosa, you say ‘Jalapeños,’ and everybody knows who we are.”

THE ESSENTIALS
Founded: 2001
Number of Employees: 49
Mentor: Wayne Grimball
Smart Move:
Bringing Jala and Peño to life as our mascots.

Learning Moment:
When we realized that we had to jump on the social media wagon. We used to think: We will never have to use it. We were wrong.
Wisdom Shared:
Surround yourself and your business with others you like and who are in similar situations. It’s a lot easier to go through obstacles and face difficulties when you have people who can give you advice and wisdom. Chances are they have been down that road before.

To view the original article, visit Alabama Retail.

Alabama Tax Amnesty Application Period Opens July 1

  • July 3rd, 2018

MONTGOMERY, July 3, 2018 – On June 21, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc. This decision struck down the requirement that a vendor must have “physical presence” in a state to be subject to state sales and use tax registration and collection requirements.

The Department of Revenue’s existing “economic nexus” rule 810-6-2-.90.03, which took effect in January 2016, will be applied prospectively for sales made on or after October 1, 2018. While this rule technically was effective January 1, 2016, its validity was in question pending the outcome of the Wayfair decision. Because Wayfair removed the constitutional impediments to the rule, it will be enforced going forward. Remote sellers with annual Alabama sales in excess of the rule’s $250,000 small seller exception should register for the Alabama Simplified Sellers Use Tax Program (SSUT) and begin collecting no later than October 1, 2018. Remote sellers seeking to comply with this existing rule and register to collect SSUT should visit https://revenue.alabama.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/SSUT-Application.pdf where they will find an application form and additional information about participation in the SSUT program.

In addition to the collection requirements for remote sellers, Ala. Act 2018-539 requires marketplace facilitators with Alabama marketplace sales in excess of $250,000 to collect tax on sales made by or on behalf of its third-party sellers or to comply with reporting and customer notification requirements. The Act mandates compliance with reporting or remitting requirements on or before January 1, 2019. However, marketplace facilitators desiring to facilitate the collection and remittance obligations of their marketplace sellers that go into effect on October 1 may begin collecting and remitting taxes on marketplace sales through the SSUT program upon completion of the application and registration process. Remote sellers who can demonstrate that a marketplace facilitator is collecting and remitting SSUT or sales tax on their Alabama sales will be relieved of the requirements imposed by rule 810-6-2-90.03.

Recent legislative changes to the SSUT, new legislative reporting requirements for online marketplaces, combined with the Supreme Court’s Wayfair decision represent unprecedented change for Alabama’s sales tax. The Department is studying these changes and intends to engage the rule making process to develop additional long-term guidance on the impact of these changes. Those rules will be developed with the input of stakeholders over the next several months and into 2019. Rules addressing both collection requirements for remote sellers and collection or reporting requirements for marketplace facilitators will be posted at the following link: https://revenue.alabama.gov/tax-policy/proposed-rule-changes/

Alabama’s Opportunity Zones Approved by U.S. Treasury Department, IRS

  • May 18th, 2018

MONTGOMERY— Governor Kay Ivey announced today that Alabama’s Opportunity Zone nominations have received full approval from the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service.

The governor submitted the state’s census-tract nominations for the Opportunity Zones program in late March, prior to the federally imposed deadline. Alabama was one of the first states to submit census-tract nominations.

“I appreciate the quick work of the U.S. Treasury Department and the IRS to approve Alabama’s nominated Opportunity Zones,” Ivey said. “Now we can take full advantage of this valuable tool provided through the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to attract additional industry and jobs to our great state. We selected each Opportunity Zone with care, and with an eye toward making a positive difference with the greatest possible impact.”

Opportunity Zones are a new alternative economic development program established by Congress in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 to encourage long-term, private-sector investments in eligible urban and rural communities nationwide. The program provides a federal tax incentive for investors to re-invest their unrealized capital gains into Opportunity Funds dedicated for investing in designated Opportunity Zones.

Congress empowered governors to nominate Opportunity Zones in their states by using up to 25 percent of their low-income community census tracts with a poverty rate of at least 20 percent and a median family income of less than 80 percent of the statewide or area median income.

The Governor’s Office, with the input of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, identified and selected 158 Opportunity Zones in the state with each of Alabama’s 67 counties having at least one designated zone. Using an objective methodology that involved input from a variety of resources to determine areas where the program could be most effective, the selected zones were chosen from 629 qualifying census tracts. The selected tracts average between 1,200 and 8,000 in population and vary in size from 199 acres to 235,352 acres.

“ADECA will continue to support Governor Ivey’s efforts to ensure Alabama uses this new program to attract private-sector investment to low-income rural and urban areas of our state through federal tax deferrals,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said.

According to the U.S. Treasury Department, the qualified Opportunity Zones will retain this designation for 10 years. Investors can defer tax on any prior gains until no later than December 31, 2026, so long as the gain is reinvested in a Qualified Opportunity Fund, an investment vehicle organized to make investments in Qualified Opportunity Zones. In addition, if the investor holds the investment in the Opportunity Fund for at least 10 years, the investor would be eligible for an increase in its basis equal to the fair market value of the investment on the date that it is sold.

###

Attached are a map and list of the Opportunity Zones.

Alabama Opportunity Zones Map

Alabama Opportunity Zones Census Tract List

Own a Business in Alabama? Be ADOR’s B.E.S.T.

  • February 27th, 2018

Check out ADOR’s Auburn/Opelika-area State Tax Seminar on March 13

AUBURN, Feb. 27, 2018 – State tax obligations for business owners – licenses, sales tax, property tax, withholding, etc. – are a lot to be responsible for. To help Alabama business owners better understand and master these requirements, the Alabama Department of Revenue (ADOR) invites business owners to ADOR’s free Business Essentials for State Taxpayers (B.E.S.T.) Seminar on Tuesday, March 13, at 10 a.m. in Auburn.

The seminar will be held at the CASIC Building, room 109, 559 Devall Drive.

*The URLs and Web addresses in this article are no longer accurate. Please follow this link to find more information about the ADOR’s B.E.S.T. Resources*

B.E.S.T. Seminars help new business owners navigate through unfamiliar tax complexities while updating current business owners on tax law changes. Conducted by ADOR specialists, B.E.S.T. Seminars offer a brief but comprehensive overview of Alabama’s business taxes, the business owner’s tax obligations, the necessary forms, and other requirements. Seminar attendees also receive information on electronic filing and Alabama’s ONE SPOT (https://revenue.alabama.gov/sales-use/one-spot/), a free Internet portal that allows business taxpayers to file and pay state, county, and city sales, use, and rental taxes all in one place!

While there is no charge to attend the B.E.S.T. Seminars, reservations are required to ensure adequate space is available. You can reserve your spot online, or you can call Marcia Sanders at 334-887-9549, ext. 221.

For more information on B.E.S.T. Seminars and other B.E.S.T. resources, visit our website at https://revenue.alabama.gov/taxpayer-advocacy/b-e-s-t-seminars/. B.E.S.T. Seminars are two hours long plus additional time for questions and answers. Please plan to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled seminar.

Own a Business in Alabama? Be ADOR’s B.E.S.T.

  • February 13th, 2018

Check out ADOR’s Shoals-area State Tax Seminar on Feb. 27

FLORENCE, Feb. 13, 2017 – State tax obligations for business owners – licenses, sales tax, property tax, withholding, etc. – are a lot to be responsible for. To help Alabama business owners better understand and master these requirements, the Alabama Department of Revenue (ADOR) invites business owners to ADOR’s free Business Essentials for State Taxpayers (B.E.S.T.) Seminar on Tuesday, Feb. 27, at 9:30 a.m. in Florence.

The seminar will be held at the Shoals Chamber of Commerce, 20 Hightower Place.

*The URLs and Web addresses in this article are no longer accurate. Please follow this link to find more information about the ADOR’s B.E.S.T. Resources*

B.E.S.T. Seminars help new business owners navigate through unfamiliar tax complexities while updating current business owners on tax law changes. Conducted by ADOR specialists, B.E.S.T. Seminars offer a brief but comprehensive overview of Alabama’s business taxes, the business owner’s tax obligations, the necessary forms, and other requirements. Seminar attendees also receive information on electronic filing and Alabama’s ONE SPOT (https://revenue.alabama.gov/sales-use/one-spot/), a free Internet portal that allows business taxpayers to file and pay state, county, and city sales, use, and rental taxes all in one place!

While there is no charge to attend the B.E.S.T. Seminars, reservations are required to ensure adequate space is available. To make your reservation for the Shoals B.E.S.T. Seminar, contact Jason Jones at 256-383-4631, ext. 1099, or register online.

For more information on B.E.S.T. Seminars and other B.E.S.T. resources, visit our website at https://revenue.alabama.gov/taxpayer-advocacy/b-e-s-t-seminars/. B.E.S.T. Seminars are two hours long plus additional time for questions and answers. Please plan to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled seminar.

Own a Business in Alabama? Be ADOR’s B.E.S.T.

  • January 12th, 2018

Check out ADOR’s Montgomery-area State Tax Seminar on Jan. 25

MONTGOMERY, Jan. 11, 2018 – State tax obligations for business owners – licenses, sales tax, property tax, withholding, etc. – are a lot to be responsible for. To help Alabama business owners better understand and master these requirements, the Alabama Department of Revenue (ADOR) invites business owners to ADOR’s free Business Essentials for State Taxpayers (B.E.S.T.) Seminar on Thursday, Jan. 25, at 11 a.m. in Montgomery.

The seminar will be held at the Montgomery Taxpayer Service Center, 2545 Taylor Road.

*The URLs and Web addresses in this article are no longer accurate. Please follow this link to find more information about the ADOR’s B.E.S.T. Resources*

B.E.S.T. Seminars help new business owners navigate through unfamiliar tax complexities while updating current business owners on tax law changes. Conducted by ADOR specialists, B.E.S.T. Seminars offer a brief but comprehensive overview of Alabama’s business taxes, the business owner’s tax obligations, the necessary forms, and other requirements. Seminar attendees also receive information on electronic filing and Alabama’s ONE SPOT (https://revenue.alabama.gov/sales-use/one-spot/), a free Internet portal that allows business taxpayers to file and pay state, county, and city sales, use, and rental taxes all in one place!

While there is no charge to attend the B.E.S.T. Seminars, reservations are required to ensure adequate space is available. To make your reservation for the Montgomery B.E.S.T. Seminar, contact Amanda Turner at 334-242-2677.

For more information on B.E.S.T. Seminars and other B.E.S.T. resources, visit our website at https://revenue.alabama.gov/taxpayer-advocacy/b-e-s-t-seminars/. B.E.S.T. Seminars are two hours long plus additional time for questions and answers. Please plan to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled seminar.

Own a Business in Alabama? Be ADOR’s B.E.S.T.

  • January 9th, 2018

Check out ADOR’s Mobile-area State Tax Seminar on Jan. 23

MOBILE, Jan. 9, 2018 – State tax obligations for business owners – licenses, sales tax, property tax, withholding, etc. – are a lot to be responsible for. To help Alabama business owners better understand and master these requirements, the Alabama Department of Revenue (ADOR) invites business owners to ADOR’s free Business Essentials for State Taxpayers (B.E.S.T.) Seminar on Tuesday, Jan. 23, at 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. in Mobile.

The seminar will be held at the Mobile Taxpayer Service Center, Bel Air Tower, 851 E. I-65 Service Road South.

B.E.S.T. Seminars help new business owners navigate through unfamiliar tax complexities while updating current business owners on tax law changes. Conducted by ADOR specialists, B.E.S.T. Seminars offer a brief but comprehensive overview of Alabama’s business taxes, the business owner’s tax obligations, the necessary forms, and other requirements. Seminar attendees also receive information on electronic filing and Alabama’s ONE SPOT (https://revenue.alabama.gov/sales-use/one-spot/), a free Internet portal that allows business taxpayers to file and pay state, county, and city sales, use, and rental taxes all in one place!

While there is no charge to attend the B.E.S.T. Seminars, reservations are required to ensure adequate space is available. To make your reservation for a Mobile B.E.S.T. Seminar, contact Jerlean Hudson at 251-344-4737, ext. 3539.

For more information on B.E.S.T. Seminars and other B.E.S.T. resources, visit our website at https://revenue.alabama.gov/taxpayer-advocacy/b-e-s-t-seminars/. B.E.S.T. Seminars are two hours long plus additional time for questions and answers. Please plan to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled seminar.

Small Businesses – Be Alert to Identity Theft

  • December 4th, 2017

National Tax Security Awareness Week, No. 5

MONTGOMERY, Dec. 1, 2017 – Small business identity theft is a big business for identity thieves. Just like individuals, businesses may have their identities stolen and their sensitive information used to open credit card accounts or used to file fraudulent tax returns for bogus refunds.
The Internal Revenue Service, state tax agencies and the private-sector tax community – partners in the Security Summit – are marking “National Tax Security Awareness Week” with a series of reminders to taxpayers and tax professionals. The week concludes with warnings about small business identity theft.

In the past year, the IRS has noted a sharp increase in the number of fraudulent Forms 1120, 1120S and 1041, as well as Schedule K-1. The fraudulent filings apply to partnerships as well as estate and trust forms.

Identity thieves are displaying a sophisticated knowledge of the tax code and industry filing practices as they attempt to obtain valuable data to help file fraudulent returns. Security Summit partners have expanded efforts to better protect business filers and to better identify suspected identity theft returns.

Identity thieves have long made use of stolen Employer Identification Numbers (EINs) to create fake Forms W-2 that they would file with fraudulent individual tax returns. Fraudsters also used EINs to open new lines of credit or obtain credit cards. Now, they are using company names and EINs to file fraudulent returns.

As with fraudulent individual returns, there are certain signs that may indicate identity theft. Business, partnerships and estate and trust filers should be alert to potential identity theft and contact the IRS if they experience any of these issues:
• Extension to file requests are rejected because a return with the Employer Identification Number or Social Security number is already on file;
• An e-filed return is rejected because of a duplicate EIN/SSN is already on file with the IRS;
• An unexpected receipt of a tax transcript or IRS notice that doesn’t correspond to anything submitted by the filer;
• Failure to receive expected and routine correspondence from the IRS because the thief has changed the address.

New Procedures to Protect Business in 2018

The Security Summit partners also share certain data points from returns, including business returns, that help identify a suspicious filing. The IRS and states also are asking that business and tax practitioners provide additional information that will help verify the legitimacy of the tax return.
For 2018, these “know your customer” procedures are being put in place that include the following questions:
• The name and SSN of the company executive authorized to sign the corporate tax return. Is this person authorized to sign the return?
• Payment history – Were estimated tax payments made? If yes, when were they made, how were they made, and how much was paid?
• Parent company information – Is there a parent company? If yes, who?
• Additional information based on deductions claimed
• Filing history – Has the business filed Form(s) 940, 941 or other business-related tax forms?

Sole proprietorships that file Schedule C and partnerships filing Schedule K-1 with Form 1040 also will be asked to provide additional information items, such as a driver’s license number. Providing this information will help the IRS and states identify suspicious business-related returns.

For small businesses looking for a place to start on security, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) produced Small Business Information Security: The Fundamentals. NIST is the branch of the U.S. Commerce Department that sets information security frameworks followed by federal agencies.

The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) has Resources for Small and Midsize Businesses. Many secretaries of state also provide resources on business-related identity theft as well.

The IRS, state tax agencies and the tax industry are working together to fight against tax-related identity theft and to protect business and individual taxpayers. Everyone can help. Take steps recommended by cyber experts and visit Identity Protection: Prevention, Detection and Victim Assistance for information about business-related identity theft.

Governor Declares Apprenticeship Week in Alabama

  • November 21st, 2017