A. If the Tax Commissioner determines that the collection of any income tax, penalties or interest required to be paid under this title will be jeopardized by delay, the Tax Commissioner shall immediately assess the actual or estimated amount of tax due, together with all penalties and interest, and demand immediate payment from the taxpayer. A notice of such assessment and demand shall be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the taxpayer's last known address or personally delivered to the taxpayer. In the case of a tax for a current period, the Tax Commissioner shall declare the taxable period of the taxpayer immediately terminated and shall cause notice of such finding and declaration to be mailed or personally delivered to the taxpayer together with a demand for immediate payment of the tax based on the period declared terminated, and such tax shall be immediately due and payable, whether or not the time otherwise allowed by law for filing a return and paying the tax has expired. Assessments provided for in this section shall become immediately due and payable, and if any such tax, penalty or interest is not paid upon demand of the Tax Commissioner, he shall proceed to collect the same by legal process as otherwise provided by law. A memorandum of lien provided for in § 58.1-1805 may be issued immediately upon assessment and notice thereof, or the Tax Commissioner may require the taxpayer to file a bond sufficient in the Commissioner's judgment to protect the interest of the Commonwealth. "Jeopardized by delay" for purposes of this section includes a finding by the Tax Commissioner that a taxpayer designs (i) to depart quickly from the Commonwealth, (ii) to remove his property therefrom, (iii) to conceal himself or his property therein, or (iv) to do any other act tending to prejudice or to render wholly or partially ineffectual proceedings to collect the income tax for the period in question.

B. A memorandum of lien may be filed for delinquent income taxes assessed by the Department only within six years after an assessment.

C. The Department shall notify the taxpayer that he shall have the opportunity to appear at a meeting within fourteen days and make an oral or written statement of why he believes no jeopardy to the revenue exists or why a memorandum of lien should be released, if one was recorded. Upon request of the taxpayer, the Department shall meet with the taxpayer at a time set by the Department within fourteen days after the issuance of the jeopardy assessment. The Department shall determine within twenty days after such meeting whether such jeopardy assessment or lien should be withdrawn and shall send written notice of such finding to the taxpayer. If the finding is not in the taxpayer's favor, he may use the remedies available for corrections of erroneous assessments in Article 2 (§ 58.1-1820 et seq.) of Chapter 18.

Code 1950, § 58-151.0105; 1979, c. 639; 1984, c. 675; 1989, c. 263; 1996, c. 634.