News Release Ohio Department of Administrative Services Bob Taft, Governor  C. Scott Johnson, Director FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, April 02, 2002 OHIO BUSINESS GATEWAY OPENS ONLINE TAX FILING SYSTEM PROMISES SPEED & CONVENIENCE (Columbus)-- Gov. Bob Taft accepted a national award today in recognition of Ohio's online services including the newest; Ohio Business Gateway, a multi-agency pilot project permitting buisnesses to report and pay state taxes on the Web. Jim Weynard, Vice-President of Government and Education Markets for Compaq Computer Corporation, presented the governor with a plaque recognizing Ohio's tp ten ranking among states in the 2001 Digital State Survey. The survey is a nationwide study sponsored by Compaq and conducted by the California based Center for Digital Government and the Progress and Freedom Foundation. "We are proud to receive this recognition of our continuing efforts to provide state services online including our newest, Ohio Business Gateway." Taft said. "Employers will be able to file state tax reports at the touch of a computer key. This process will save them time and paperwork. It retains data from one report to the next and eliminates the repetition in the current filing process." The first phase of the system provides a single location for businesses to report and pay sales, withholding, and unemployment compensation taxes as well as workers' compensation premiums. Electronic transfers are a convenient method of payment. Users need only enter their checking account routing number, bank code and dollar amount to make a payment. Credit card payments are not part of the system at this time, but may be added in the future. Ohio Business Gateway was jointly developed under legislation passed by the Ohio General Assembly and an order issued by Governor Taft in February 2001. The project was designed by an interagency cabinet team consisting of the Ohio Department of Taxation, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation and the Ohio Department of Administrative Services. Ohio Business Gateway is accessible through a link on the state web portal at (www.businessgateway.ohio.gov.) -30- For further information, contact Ben Piscitelli or Gretchen Hull at 614-752-9521. [ Administrative Support | Communications | Employee Services ] [ Finance | Legal Counsel | Legislative Affairs | MIS ] Site Map | Search | DAS Home Page | State Home Page | Contact DAS