News Release
September 23, 2003 - Ohio
Business Gateway SM Earns
National Award
(State's Internet-based
filing system for businesses tops in Innovations Awards)
The Ohio Business Gateway, in just its second year of
operations, will receive one of eight, national Innovations
Awards from the Council of State Governments (CSG) at its
annual meeting in Pittsburgh (PA) next month.
The CSG has been giving Innovations Awards annually to state
government programs that demonstrate a unique, effective and
proven method of solving a problem or improving a process and
that could be easily adopted by other states facing similar
challenges. There were 290 programs competing for the awards
this year.
The Ohio Business Gateway (OBG) opened for business in
January 2002 as a result of Governor Bob Taft’s directing
state agencies to develop a system that would make it easier
for Ohio businesses to deal with state paperwork and
bureaucracy.
Governor Taft says the Innovations Award recognizes what an
increasing number of Ohio businesses also see: that the Ohio
Business Gateway works.
"The Gateway has grown tremendously in a relatively short
time because it offers a better way to do business. It cuts
paperwork, time and costs for our business customers and
state agencies. It truly is an innovation that contributes
significantly to our efforts to retain and attract jobs and
business for Ohioans."
To date, nearly 32,000 Ohio companies have signed up to use
OBG -- about ten percent of all eligible businesses. Those
companies have filed more than 112,000 returns and reports,
and made more than 80,000 payments representing about $475
million in taxes.
OBG offers business users a ‘one-stop-shop’ where they can
electronically transact business with multiple state
agencies. Businesses can currently file and pay different
taxes with the Department of Taxation (sales and withholding
taxes), Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (workers’
compensation tax), Job and Family Services (unemployment
compensation tax) and the Commerce Department (the unclaimed
funds report).
New features added to OBG in 2003 allow taxes to be paid by
credit card and businesses to delay payments until a date of
their choosing (must be prior to the due date). In 2004,
plans are to add the school district income tax, and in 2005,
the municipal income tax to OBG.
OBG will soon be managed by a Steering Committee made up of
representatives from the business community, municipal and
state governments including the Ohio Tax Commissioner, and
the Directors of the Departments of Administrative Services,
Job and Family Services, Commerce and Workers’ Compensation.
OBG is accessible from Ohio’s web site at www.ohio.gov in the Online
Services section.
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(For information, contact Gary Gudmundson, Ohio
Department of Taxation, at (614) 644-6903.)