(a) When this title requires that any return pertaining to sales tax, use tax, withholding tax, or motor fuel distributor tax be electronically transmitted or filed, or provides that the commissioner may by rule or regulation require that any return pertaining to sales tax, use tax, withholding tax, or motor fuel distributor tax be electronically transmitted or filed, and a taxpayer fails to electronically transmit or file such return, the taxpayer shall be deemed to have failed to make the required filing; provided, however, that any such taxpayer whose electronic filing was first transmitted on or before the due date of the return, including any extensions, and was rejected shall be allowed to perfect the electronic filing under rules consistent with those applied by the Internal Revenue Service with respect to rejections of returns which are required to be electronically transmitted or filed. Such deemed failure to make the required filing shall also result in the forfeiture of the compensation of dealers for reporting and paying tax provided in Code Section 48-8-50 since such Code section provides such compensation only if such return is timely filed. The penalty imposed on the taxpayer for such failure shall be the greater of $25.00 for each such return or 5 percent of the tax due on each such return before application of any payments or credits. Such $25.00 penalty or 5 percent penalty amount shall be consistent with the penalty imposed on the failure to file a withholding tax return as provided in Code Section 48-7-126.

(b) The commissioner may grant waivers of the requirements of this Code section in cases of undue hardship.

(c) No penalties shall be assessed pursuant to this Code section upon a showing by the taxpayer or the tax return preparer that the failure was due to reasonable cause and not due to gross or willful neglect or disregard of the law or of regulations or instructions issued pursuant to the law.