An Ohio advisory group assembled by Gov. Mike DeWine (R) has recommended waiving interest and penalties for late tax payments and creating a tax holiday to ease the burden on small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The governor’s Small Business Advisory Council was tasked with coming up with ideas to make things easier for small businesses during the pandemic, Mike Kahoe, a member of the council and president of Group Management Services Inc., told Tax Notes May 8.
“People are still struggling to get back up and running, and we have these deadlines still imposed even though we’ve been crippled for two months now,” Kahoe said.
The group, assembled in January 2019, is part of DeWine’s Common Sense Initiative and was intended to identify unnecessary burdens that Ohio places on small businesses.
The suggestions made by the council during a May 7 meeting include waiving interest and penalties for overdue taxes and extending deadlines for licenses and certifications, Kahoe said.
Council members also proposed tax credits for COVID-19 safety-related purchases and a possible new tax holiday for some industries.
According to Kahoe, his company, a professional employer organization and benefits administrator, struggled with local tax agencies that refused to use the Ohio Business Gateway, making the processing of tax payments and filings more difficult.
The Ohio Business Gateway allows state taxpayers to register, file, and pay taxes online.
Kahoe said he suggested during the meeting that more local tax agencies move to online platforms in order to streamline tax compliance and reduce the need for in-person work.