Thank you, Euclid council

I would like to thank Euclid city council and my councilman, John Wojtila, for their work over the past few months on an issue. Euclid council recently voted to switch from an in-house tax collection department to use Regional Income Tax Agency (RITA). This was a very difficult decision.

Residents spoke through their vote last November and rejected changing Euclid’s tax reciprocity. The switch to RITA is a way that could improve collection of those not in compliance with tax laws.

No one wants to eliminate jobs. Several residents made passionate pleas to keep the inhouse department. I appreciate those views and am glad residents are able to voice their opinions. RITA can’t replace the personal touch of being able to go to down to the Euclid tax department to sort out an issue; and, as a CPA, I am well aware of the numerous annoying letters that RITA sends out. At the same time, those annoying letters are what helps bring in a lot of revenue to a city. RITA has access to IRS data that Euclid, by law, is not able to access. That data, coupled with their infrastructure and technology, gives them quite an edge in identifying non-filers and under reporters. Bottom line, it is very likely RITA will be able to bring in significantly more revenue from those who haven’t been paying their full income tax.

I appreciate the time council members spent visiting RITA and meeting with the in-house tax department. I appreciate the energy they spent reaching out to similar and neighboring cities who use RITA, learning why they switched and how residents reacted. I appreciate the thought that went into gathering, researching and analyzing data regarding collection history and the likelihood of more revenue for Euclid. I feel like council did their job and made a thoughtful decision.

Beth D’Arcy Euclid