TAFT ANNOUNCES EXPANSION OF OHIO BUSINESS GATEWAY

COLUMBUS (April 10, 2006) – Governor Bob Taft today announced that Ohio businesses can now save time, and paper, by paying primary municipal business taxes online. The new service is now available on the Ohio Business Gateway (OBG), a multi-agency online tool that centralizes critical business filings, registrations and payments to cut government red tape.

“The Ohio Business Gateway is about helping businesses spend more time creating jobs and less time filling out paperwork,” said Taft. “We’ll continue to expand the OBG to help our businesses succeed.”

By expanding the existing menu of its services and agencies, the OBG continues to provide business taxpayers with an easier means to comply with government reporting requirements. Businesses no longer need to manage separate forms for each municipality since the OBG offers business taxpayers the option of centralized filing with a growing list of nearly 500 municipalities.

Data common to all municipalities is initially entered through a uniform net profits return. The taxpayer is then prompted to report information specific to every municipality where a return is to be filed. The OBG compiles the data, creates customized net profits returns and transmits a separate return to each municipality.

Taxpayers can also use an electronic payment process to directly transmit the appropriate tax payment to each municipality along with the return. Each return created contains only the tax data for the respective municipality.

The OBG is a nationally recognized, collaborative initiative between state and local government agencies. Established in 2002, the OBG allows more than 125,000 Ohio businesses to submit selected filings, registrations, and payments with the state’s Department of Taxation, Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, Department of Job and Family Services, and Department of Commerce.

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For more information, visit the Ohio Business Gateway Website at http://obg.ohio.gov