Section 19138.

(a) (1) A taxpayer subject to the tax imposed under Part 11 (commencing with Section 23001) with an understatement of tax for any taxable year shall be subject to the penalty imposed under this section if that understatement exceeds the greater of the following:

(A) One million dollars ($1,000,000).

(B) Twenty percent of the tax shown on an original return or shown on an amended return filed on or before the original or extended due date of the return for the taxable year.

(2) For taxpayers that are required to be included in a combined report under Section 25101 or authorized to be included in a combined report under Section 25101.15, the threshold amount prescribed in subparagraph (A) or subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) shall apply to the aggregate amount of tax liability under Part 11 (commencing with Section 23001) for all taxpayers that are required to be or authorized to be included in a combined report.

(b) The penalty under this section shall be an amount equal to 20 percent of any understatement of tax. For purposes of this section, "understatement of tax" means the amount by which the tax imposed by Part 11 (commencing with Section 23001) exceeds the amount of tax shown on an original return or shown on an amended return filed on or before the original or extended due date of the return for the taxable year. For any taxable year beginning before January 1, 2008, the amount of tax paid on or before May 31, 2009, and shown on an amended return filed on or before May 31, 2009, shall be treated as the amount of tax shown on an original return for purposes of this section.

(c) The penalty imposed by this section shall be in addition to any other penalty imposed under Part 11 (commencing with Section 23001) or this part.

(d) Article 3 (commencing with Section 19031), relating to deficiency assessments, shall not apply with respect to the assessment or collection of any penalty imposed by subdivision (a).

(e) A refund or credit for any amounts paid to satisfy a penalty imposed under this section may be allowed only on the grounds that the amount of the penalty was not properly computed by the Franchise Tax Board.

(f) (1) No penalty shall be imposed under this section on any understatement to the extent that the understatement is attributable to a change in law that is enacted, promulgated, issued, or becomes final after the earlier of either of the following dates:

(A) The date the taxpayer files the return for the taxable year for which the change is operative.

(B) The extended due date for the return of the taxpayer for the taxable year for which the change is operative.

(2) For purposes of this subdivision, a "change of law" means a statutory change or an interpretation of law or rule of law by regulation, legal ruling of counsel, within the meaning of subdivision (b) of Section 11340.9 of the Government Code, or a published federal or California court decision.

(3) The Franchise Tax Board shall implement this subdivision in a reasonable manner.

(g) No penalty shall be imposed under this section to the extent that a taxpayer's understatement is attributable to the taxpayer's reasonable reliance on written advice of the Franchise Tax Board, but only if the written advice was a legal ruling by the Chief Counsel, within the meaning of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 21012.

(h) (1) This section shall apply to each taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2003, for which the statute of limitations on assessment has not expired.

(2) The amendments made to this section by the act adding this paragraph shall apply to each taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2010.

(Amended by Stats. 2010, Ch. 721, Sec. 18. Effective October 19, 2010. Applicable from January 1, 2010, as provided in the newly added paragraph (2) of subdivision (h).)