CAMARILLO : Audit Uncovers Missing Tax Revenue

A Westlake Village tax expert has found $148,000 in uncollected sales taxes for the city.

John Austin, whose firm, Municipal Resource Consultants, specializes in such audits, said the company uncovered the misplaced money by analyzing State Board of Equalization records over the past three years.

The firm will be paid a $23,000 finder’s fee for its discovery. The rest of the money will be spent on general city operations, said city Finance Director Anita Bingham.

“It’s just another way to make sure the city is getting the money it’s entitled to,” Bingham said.

The state collects about $15 billion annually in sales tax revenue, Austin said. Of that amount, $3 billion goes to local governments and $8 million is annually credited to the wrong city or county, or is deposited in state accounts by mistake. Cities are entitled to about 1% of the sales tax collected within their jurisdictions.

Mistakes can be made, however, when an out-of-state chain operation with stores in Camarillo lumps all of its Southern California outlets into one area for reporting purposes. That could mean Los Angeles would be credited with sales in Camarillo, Austin said.

Austin has in the past recovered $637,000 for the city of Ventura. Thousand Oaks recently contracted for his services, Austin said.