Tesla settles dispute in Nevada over $655,000 unemployment tax bill
Tesla has resolved a dispute with Nevada state authorities over an alleged unemployment tax bill which was left unpaid.
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According to Bloomberg, the state filed a claim in court on Monday to collect the unpaid bill, of which had managed to reach $665,000.
A day after filing with a court in Las Vegas, however, Tesla reached out to the state to settle the dispute.
Court documents claimed that Tesla underpaid in two financial quarters -- one ending March 31 and one ending June 30 -- of which $68 million and $55 million in wages were taxable. As the company did not contribute enough, this indebted Tesla to the Nevada Employment Security Division.
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The department confirmed that it had been in touch with Tesla and the matter was being resolved.
A Tesla spokesperson told the publication that the underpayment was the result of a "clerical error" and payment was processed on Tuesday.
Update 13.33 BST: A Tesla spokesperson told ZDNet:
"Since Tesla acquired SolarCity and incorporated all of its employees, we've been in discussions with states over new unemployment insurance contribution rates, which is typical in acquisitions like this.
This judgment is the result of a clerical error, and we have processed this payment today to reflect the latest unemployment insurance contribution rates.
Over the past 18 months, Tesla has already paid over $3.3 million in unemployment taxes to Nevada."
Launched in 2014, the Tesla Gigafactory, based just outside Sparks, Nevada, is a massive installation used for the production of Model 3 electric motors and battery packs, as well as Tesla energy storage products.
Tesla acquired solar energy systems provider SolarCity in 2016 for $2.6 billion.
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Dealing with tax affairs on this scale is simply the next headache that Tesla has needed to endure over the course of the last month. Last week, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Tesla, and its CEO Elon Musk reached a settlement relating to allegations of securities fraud.
The settlement required Musk to part with $20 million in restitution over a tweet which suggested Tesla would go private, funding was "secured," and the share price would be fixed at $420 -- way above the current market cap.
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This caused upheaval both for investors caught unawares and the stock market as a whole. SEC deemed the tweet "misleading" and a message which caused "significant market disruption."
While a settlement has been agreed, pending approval, this may not be the end of the matter. Only a few days after, the Tesla executive appeared to be mocking the US regulator by renaming them the "Shortseller Enrichment Commission" on the same social media platform.