(Editor's note: the following is a news release from the city of Akron.)
Mayor Don Plusquellic and Tax Commissioner Don Smith recently announced a tax amnesty program for individuals who are delinquent in filing, have failed to file, or who have failed to report all of their income on their city of Akron tax returns. This amnesty program runs through Oct. 12.
At the beginning of the year, the city rolled out a comprehensive tax collection effort and announced its collaboration with the Central Collection Agency (CCA) in Cleveland to identify and seek out all delinquent taxpayers.
The city launched its new enforcement program in February by concentrating on the most egregious offenders – those Akron and JEDD businesses that withheld taxes from their employees, but failed to remit those payments to the city. At that time, the city offered a tax amnesty program for those delinquent businesses, and that amnesty program netted more than $250,000 in unpaid taxes. Intense collection efforts have continued, with the city identifying an additional $800,000 in tax, penalty and interest that is being pursued.
“Typically, individual taxpayers do not owe as much as delinquent businesses,” noted Smith. “However, the number of delinquent individuals is expected to be substantially greater than the number of delinquent businesses. For instance, a similar program conducted by the CCA for the city of Dayton, and initiated in August 2009, has produced an additional $975,000 in delinquent tax revenue for that city.”
Immediately following this second amnesty the city will initiate its process, through CCA, of cross-referencing city tax returns with state and federal data to identify those who may not have filed with the city at all or who may have under-reported their income.
Individuals seeking amnesty may contact the Income Tax Division by:
a. Emailing: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Further information is available at the City of Akron’s website, including FAQ.
“We want individuals who are delinquent in their taxes, for whatever reason, to know that we will identify you and we will collect from you,” said Plusquellic. “However, if you come forward voluntarily during this amnesty period, your penalties will be significantly reduced or altogether waived. This is a huge incentive to come forward as penalties can be significant, and I hope the affected individuals take advantage of this program.”
After the Amnesty period has concluded, individuals found to be non-compliant will be pursued to the fullest extent permitted by law, according to city officials.
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