For most businesses, dealing with the Department of Revenue of any state is rarely fun. Add into that mix the fact that the department is trying to collect back taxes from nearly 20 years ago and the CEO from that time — who left amid a scandal that cost your company $1.7 billion — now also happens to be the governor of the state in question. Now you know how HCA feels.
According to the Miami Herald [2], the hospital giant has filed a lawsuit against the Florida Department of Revenue over $750,000 in interest payments the state is trying to collect dating from 1994. HCA filed a corporate return that year but the Florida DoR claims that more taxes were owed. And now it wants 17 years' worth of interest.