• 05/05/08 Smokers Billed for Cigarette and Sales Taxes on Internet Purchases
  (EXCERPT: "Ohio smokers who’ve gone online in search of cheap cigarettes may find out that it cost them more than they anticipated. This week, the Ohio Department of Taxation has begun mailing letters that bill Internet purchasers for unpaid cigarette excise and sales taxes.

  The department is mailing out a total of 5,469 bills over the next few weeks for a total of $2,153,775 in uncollected cigarette and sales taxes. These bills represent the Ohio taxes due – but unpaid – on cigarette purchases made online between July 2007 and March 2008.

  “Our goal here is to enforce the law, out of fairness to consumers who do play by the rules and to Ohio business owners who are operating responsibly,” Tax Commissioner Richard A. Levin said."

• 04/25/08 Streamlined Sales Tax Effort Takes Step Forward
  (EXCERPT: "Legislation signed by Governor Ted Strickland last week means that businesses engaging in delivery sales within Ohio will soon return to the state’s traditional way of calculating the sales tax: at the origin of the sale.

  An emergency clause in the newly-signed bill – House Bill 429, sponsored by Rep. Bob Gibbs, R-Lakeville – allows Ohio businesses now charging sales taxes based on the destination of their Ohio delivery sales to switch back to the traditional “origin” method as soon as the start of next month if they wish. Merchants who moved to destination sourcing of delivery sales have until Jan. 1, 2010 to switch back to the traditional method, according to the new law.

The new law is, in part, a response to small business owners who considered destination sourcing more complex than Ohio’s traditional “origin” method. “This law balances the needs of small business owners with the goal of creating a more level playing field for all Ohio businesses when it comes to Ohio’s sales tax,” Tax Commissioner Richard A. Levin said."

• 04/24/08 Tangible Personal Property Tax Nearing End: Final Returns Due April 30
  (EXCERPT: "Ohio’s local property taxes on business machinery, equipment and inventory have long been a source of irritation for Ohio business owners. But, after more than a century and a half, these taxes are about to fade into the history books.

The state’s final tangible personal property tax returns are due from businesses on Wednesday, April 30. The returns will cover the 2008 tax year, the last for the tangible personal property tax in Ohio.

The gradual elimination of the personal property tax was a key element of reforms enacted in 2005 by the Ohio General Assembly and embraced by Governor Ted Strickland in his 2008-09 state budget plan. The reforms will mean $3.9 billion in overall annual tax savings by the time they are fully implemented in the 2010 fiscal year, including $1.6 billion annual savings in tangible personal property taxes."

• 04/07/08 Accreditation Assessment Team Invites Public Comment
  (EXCERPT: "The Ohio Department of Taxation’s Enforcement Division is holding a public comment period on April 28 as part of the division’s triennial accreditation assessment by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA).

  The CALEA assessment team is seeking input from both the citizens served by the agency as well as from Enforcement Division’s employees. Interested persons can submit their comments to the assessment team on Monday, April 28 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. by calling a toll-free number, (866) 227-0004."

• 03/20/08 Office of the Governor News Release: Governor Urges Seniors, Veterans to Apply for Stimulus Payments
  (EXCERPT: " Governor Ted Strickland today urged Ohioans to reach out to family and friends to make sure they are filing federal income tax returns this year so they can preserve their right to receive the economic stimulus payments recently authorized by Congress.
  Most taxpayers file a federal income tax return every year and have no cause for concern. However, Social Security recipients and veterans who receive disability payments from the Veterans Administration – and who do not normally file a federal return because their income isn’t taxable – are at risk of missing out.
  Taxpayers who don’t file a federal tax return this year will not receive a stimulus payment, even if they are otherwise eligible. Governor Strickland said today it is important for all taxpayers who think they may be eligible for a stimulus payment to file a federal return this year."
• 03/12/08 State Tax Burden Falls to 38th in the Nation
  (EXCERPT: "The state tax burden in Ohio fell to 38th in the nation last year when ranked on a per capita basis, according to a new report.

The new ranking, published by the Federation of Tax Administrators last week, represents a marked decline from 2005, when Ohio’s per capita state tax burden ranked 27th.  

Ohio Tax Commissioner Richard A. Levin said the falling ranking is an unmistakable result of the tax cuts enacted by the Ohio General Assembly in 2005 and embraced by Governor Ted Strickland."  

• 02/11/08 Ohio Offers Speedy New Way to File Income Tax Returns
  (EXCERPT: "Income tax filing season is again underway in Ohio – and with the new season comes yet another way for Ohio taxpayers to cut through the red tape and get a state income tax refund fast.

  New for this year is eForms, a new electronic tax return filing service rolled out this year by the Ohio Department of Taxation that may be the first of its kind in the nation. It supplements I-File, an electronic tax return filing system the department has offered since 2001.

  Both eForms and I-File are free. Both allow taxpayers to submit a state income tax return directly to the department at tax.ohio.gov."

• 01/29/08 Ron Hohman Inducted into Ohio Tax Hall of Fame
  (EXCERPT: "A career Ohio Department of Taxation employee was inducted into the Ohio Tax Hall of Fame here during a ceremony at the 17th annual Ohio Tax Conference Tuesday.
  The late Ronald F. Hohman, who rose through the ranks in the department to achieve the high-ranking post of executive administrator for property taxes, is the eighth person to receive the honor since the hall was founded in 2001. As executive administrator for property taxes since 2000, Hohman oversaw the divisions responsible for oversight and administration of real, tangible personal and public utility property taxes. These taxes meant as much $11.7 billion in annual revenue for local governments."
• 01/11/08 Taxation Names New Chief Legal Counsel
  (EXCERPT: "The Ohio Department of Taxation today announced that Christine Mesirow will soon be joining the department as its new chief legal counsel.

  Mesirow, who lives in Columbus, will also serve as a deputy tax commissioner for the department starting on Feb. 4. She currently works for the office of Attorney General Marc Dann as assistant chief of the taxation section.

  Before joining the public sector, Mesirow served as in-house legal counsel for corporations including Electronic Data Systems Inc., where she focused on state and local tax matters. She has also worked as a manager for PricewaterhouseCoopers and with Bricker & Eckler LLP, where she represented clients before the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals."

• 01/08/08 Homestead Exemption Applications Again Available
  (EXCERPT: "Senior citizens who didn’t apply for the homestead exemption last year – and the tax savings it means on bills now being mailed to property owners – will now get another chance to sign up.
  Starting today, county auditors throughout Ohio will again be accepting applications for the homestead exemption through June 2, 2008.
  “Last year nearly 97 percent of the estimated eligible Ohioans took advantage of the homestead tax cut, and are already seeing the benefits of the tax break on their bills this year," Ohio Governor Ted Strickland said. 'I encourage anyone eligible for the homestead tax exemption to sign up in 2008.'"