(a)

(1) The commissioner of revenue is empowered to accept, in payment of all taxes collected by the department, evidence satisfactory to the commissioner that the amount due for the tax has been deposited in a state depository designated pursuant to § 9-4-107, which has been approved by the state treasurer, to the credit of the state of Tennessee.

(2) Evidence of the deposit must be furnished to the commissioner on or before the due date of the tax as established by law, and no taxpayer paying taxes in such manner shall be relieved of any penalty for delinquency upon failure of such evidence to be seasonably furnished, except as provided in § 67-1-803.

(b) The commissioner may require that any person owing ten thousand dollars ($10,000) or more in connection with any return, report or other document to be filed with the department, or owing one thousand dollars ($1,000) or more in connection with any return, report or other document to be filed with the department under chapter 6 of this title or chapter 4, part 7 of this title, or owing two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) or more in connection with any quarterly estimated payment due under § 67-4-2015(b), shall pay any such tax liability to the state no later than the date the payment is required by law to be made in funds that are immediately available to the state on the date of payment. Payment in immediately available funds may be made by wire transfers of funds through the federal reserve system or by any other means established by the commissioner, with the approval of the state treasurer, that ensures the availability of such funds to the state on the date of payment. Evidence of such payment shall be furnished to the commissioner on or before the due date of the tax as established by law. Failure to timely make such payment in immediately available funds, or failure to provide such evidence of payment in a timely manner, shall subject the taxpayer to penalty and interest as provided by law for delinquent or deficient tax payments. If payment is timely made in other than immediately available funds, penalty and interest shall be added to the amount of tax due from the due date of the tax payment to the date that funds from the tax payment become available to the state.

(c) The commissioner is specifically authorized to establish, by rule, periodic filing and payment dates that are subsequent to the dates otherwise established by law for any taxes collected by the department in those instances where the commissioner deems it to be in the best interest of the state to do so. Such alternative date shall not, however, be later than the last day of the month in which the tax was otherwise due.

(d) The commissioner, in the commissioner's discretion, may require taxpayers who are required to electronically transfer any payment of twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) or more to the department of revenue to also electronically file the return, report or other document with which such electronically transferred payment is associated or on which credit for the payment electronically transferred is taken. In extenuating circumstances, the commissioner has discretionary authority to waive this requirement with respect to any taxpayer. To obtain a waiver, the taxpayer shall demonstrate in writing to the department that such circumstances exist. Any return or tax information, as defined by § 67-1-1701, electronically transferred under this subsection (d) shall constitute confidential information, the disclosure of which shall be subject to part 17 of this chapter.

(e) The commissioner is authorized to prescribe all rules necessary for the administration of this section.

(f)

(1) The commissioner is authorized, but not required, to accept credit cards, debit cards, or other similar financial transaction cards in payment of all taxes or other amounts collected by the department. The commissioner may adopt reasonable policies and rules governing the manner of acceptance of such cards.

(2) The commissioner may enter into appropriate agreements with card issuers or other appropriate parties as needed to facilitate the acceptance of payments authorized by this subsection (f). The commissioner may impose a surcharge or convenience fee upon persons making payment by credit card, debit card, or other similar financial transaction cards to wholly or partially offset, in the aggregate, any discount or administrative fees charged to the department on such payments.

(3) The commissioner also may enter into appropriate agreements with third-party service providers for the acceptance and processing of credit card, debit card, or other similar financial transaction card payments on the commissioner's behalf. Such agreements may authorize the third-party service provider to impose a surcharge or convenience fee upon persons making such payments.

(4) When a person elects to make a payment to the department by credit card, debit card, or other similar financial transaction card and a surcharge or convenience fee is imposed as authorized by this subsection (f), the payment of the surcharge or convenience fee shall be deemed voluntary and shall not be refundable. No person making any payment to the department by credit card, debit card, or other similar financial transaction card shall be relieved from liability for the underlying obligation, except to the extent that the department realizes final payment of the underlying obligation in cash or the equivalent. If final payment is not made by the card issuer or other guarantor of payment, then the underlying obligation shall survive and the department shall retain all remedies for enforcement that would have applied if the transaction had not occurred.