Richmond has a new payment portal to make paying taxes easier for local small businesses
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The city of Richmond just launched a new payment portal for local small businesses.
Why it matters: The city promised technological upgrades for small businesses last year after dozens of restaurant owners said they were erroneously charged late penalties on their meals taxes, in part due to outdated software.
The big picture: RVA Business Portal launched in January as a one-stop shop for small businesses to view, file, and pay their annual business personal property and license taxes.
- Previously, local business owners had to manually fill out paper forms, mail them in, and hope that the city would process the payment by the deadline.
- The city touted the lack of "payment delays to the city" as one of the perks of the new portal.
Yes, but: Local restaurant owners can't yet make their monthly meals tax payments via the portal (though that feature is in the works, city spokesperson Ross Catrow tells Axios).
- And some biz owners have struggled to set up accounts due to time-out errors and unclear instructions, per a local Reddit thread of gripes about it.
- The portal also doesn't appear to be mobile-friendly.
What's next: Business personal property and license tax filings are due March 1, but late fees won't be assessed this year until after March 31, so business owners have time to set up their accounts.