I have been wondering since this story posted who this taxpayer is that may be due a huge sales tax refund, this having an impact on government budgets.

The Reno Gazette-Journal reported Oct. 12 that the state tax department was refusing to discuss the potential $27 million refund, citing confidentiality statutes. The newspaper reported the refund application had to do with sales taxes paid in Nevada but due to another state.

Now we know who it is: I have confirmed it is AT&T.

“The Department of Taxation is currently in the process of reviewing a claim submitted by AT&T,” Stephanie Tyler, the Nevada president of the company, told me. “Until the department has had the opportunity to complete a thorough review of the claim, it would be premature for us to speculate or further comment on the matter.”

The process is in its infancy. No matter what the tax department finds, the result would have to be reviewed by the Tax Commission.

The Gazette-Journal reported multimillion-dollar impacts to various locals:

The pending refund came to light in a memo to the Reno City Council obtained by the Reno Gazette-Journal. The memo, written by the city's finance director, advises the council that it should start planning for an unexpected $2.7 million refund to the company-- the city's share of the total refund.

Washoe County could owe an estimated $4.6 million and Sparks could owe an estimated $1.4 million. The memo says the state is working out a payment plan, which would spread the payback burden out over one to three years.

But Tyler’s statement and the ongoing process indicate that those numbers could change.