(a)Except as otherwise provided in this Section and notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any other Section of this Act, no domestic corporation or foreign corporation shall be obligated to pay any annual franchise tax, fee, or penalty or interest thereon imposed under this Act, nor shall any administrative or judicial sanction (including dissolution) be imposed or enforced nor access to the courts of this State be denied based upon nonpayment thereof more than 7 years after the date of filing the annual report with respect to the period during which the obligation for the tax, fee, penalty or interest arose, unless (1) within that 7 year period the Secretary of State sends a written notice to the corporation to the effect that (A) administrative or judicial action to diss
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(a) Except as otherwise provided in this Section and notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any other Section of this Act, no domestic corporation or foreign corporation shall be obligated to pay any annual franchise tax, fee, or penalty or interest thereon imposed under this Act, nor shall any administrative or judicial sanction (including dissolution) be imposed or enforced nor access to the courts of this State be denied based upon nonpayment thereof more than 7 years after the date of filing the annual report with respect to the period during which the obligation for the tax, fee, penalty or interest arose, unless (1) within that 7 year period the Secretary of State sends a written notice to the corporation to the effect that (A) administrative or judicial action to dissolve the corporation or revoke its authority for nonpayment of a tax, fee, penalty or interest has been commenced; or (B) the corporation has submitted a report but has failed to pay a tax, fee, penalty or interest required to be paid therewith; or (C) a report with respect to an event or action giving rise to an obligation to pay a tax, fee, penalty or interest is required but has not been filed, or has been filed and is in error or incomplete; or (2) the annual report by the corporation was filed with fraudulent intent to evade taxes payable under this Act. A corporation nonetheless shall be required to pay all taxes that would have been payable during the most recent 7 year period due to a previously unreported increase in paid-in capital that occurred prior to that 7 year period and interest and penalties thereon for that period, except that, from February 1, 2008 through March 15, 2008, with respect to any corporation that participates in the Franchise Tax and License Fee Amnesty Act of 2007, the corporation shall be only required to pay all taxes that would have been payable during the most recent 4 year period due to a previously unreported increase in paid-in capital that occurred prior to that 7 year period. (b) If within 2 years following a change in control of a corporation the corporation voluntarily pays in good faith all known obligations of the corporation imposed by this Article 15 with respect to reports that were required to have been filed since the beginning of the 7 year period ending on the effective date of the change in control, no action shall be taken to enforce or collect obligations of that corporation imposed by this Article 15 with respect to reports that were required to have been filed prior to that 7 year period regardless of whether the limitation period set forth in subsection (a) is otherwise applicable. For purposes of this subsection (b), a change in control means a transaction, or a series of transactions consummated within a period of 180 consecutive days, as a result of which a person which owned less than 10% of the shares having the power to elect directors of the corporation acquires shares such that the person becomes the holder of 80% or more of the shares having such power. For purposes of this subsection (b) a person means any natural person, corporation, partnership, trust or other entity together with all other persons controlled by, controlling or under common control with such person. (c) Except as otherwise provided in this Section and notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any other Section of this Act, no foreign corporation that has not previously obtained authority under this Act shall, upon voluntary application for authority filed with the Secretary of State prior to January 1, 2001, be obligated to pay any tax, fee, penalty, or interest imposed under this Act, nor shall any administrative or judicial sanction be imposed or enforced based upon nonpayment thereof with respect to a period during which the obligation arose that is prior to January 1, 1993 unless (1) prior to receipt of the application for authority the Secretary of State had sent written notice to the corporation regarding its failure to obtain an application for authority, (2) the corporation had submitted an application for authority previously but had failed to pay any tax, fee, penalty or interest to be paid therewith, or (3) the application for authority was submitted by the corporation with fraudulent intent to evade taxes payable under this Act. A corporation nonetheless shall be required to pay all taxes and fees due under this Act that would have been payable since January 1, 1993 as a result of commencing the transaction of its business in this State and interest thereon for that period.