(a) (1) An annual City municipal income tax return must be completed and filed by every taxpayer for any taxable year for which the taxpayer is subject to the tax, regardless of whether or not income tax is due.
(2) The Tax Director will accept on behalf of all nonresident and resident individual taxpayers a return filed by an employer, agent of an employer, or other payer located in the City of Brook Park under Section 1805.01(c) when the nonresident or resident's individual taxpayer's sole income subject to the tax is the qualifying wages reported by the employer, agent of an employer, or other payer, and no additional tax is due to the City of Brook Park.
(3) All resident individual taxpayers, who turn eighteen years of age during the tax year or are older than eighteen years of age, are required to file an annual municipal income tax return with the City of Brook Park, regardless of income or liability.
(b) If an individual is deceased, any return or notice required of that individual must be completed and filed by that decedent's executor, administrator, or other person charged with the property of that decedent.
(c) If an individual is unable to complete and file a return or notice required by the City of Brook Park in accordance with this Part 18, the return or notice required of that individual shall be completed and filed by the individual's duly authorized agent, guardian, conservator, fiduciary, or other person charged with the care of the person or property of that individual. Such duly authorized agent, guardian, conservator, fiduciary, or other person charged with the care of the person or property of that individual shall provide, with the filing of the return, appropriate documentation to support that they are authorized to file a return or notice on behalf of the taxpayer. This notice shall include any legally binding authorizations, and contact information including name, address, and phone number of the duly authorized agent, guardian, conservator, fiduciary, or other person.
(d) Returns or notices required of an estate or a trust shall be completed and filed by the fiduciary of the estate or trust. Such fiduciary shall provide, with the filing of the return, appropriate documentation to support that they are authorized to file a return or notice on behalf of the taxpayer. This notice shall include any legally binding authorizations, and contact information including name, address, and phone number of the fiduciary.
(e) Spouses may file a joint return.
(f) (1) Each return required to be filed under this section must contain the signature of the taxpayer or the taxpayer's duly authorized agent and of the person who prepared the return for the taxpayer, and must include the taxpayer's social security number or taxpayer identification number. Each return must be verified by a declaration under penalty of perjury.
(2) A taxpayer who is an individual is required to include, with each annual return, amended return, or request for refund required under this section, copies of only the following documents: all of the taxpayer's Internal Revenue Service form W-2, “Wage and Tax Statements,” including all information reported on the taxpayer's federal W-2, as well as taxable wages reported or withheld for any municipal corporation; the taxpayer's Internal Revenue Service form 1040 or in the case of a return or request required by a qualified municipal corporation, Ohio form IT-1040; and, with respect to an amended tax return or refund request, any other documentation necessary to support the refund request or the adjustments made in the amended return. An individual taxpayer who files the annual return required by this section electronically is not required to provide paper copies of any of the foregoing to the Tax Director unless the Tax Director requests such copies after the return has been filed.
(3) A taxpayer that is not an individual is required to include, with each annual net profit return, amended net profit return, or request for refund required under this section, copies of only the following documents: the taxpayer's Internal Revenue Service form 1041, form 1065, form 1120, form 1120-REIT, form 1120F, or form 1120S, and, with respect to an amended tax return or refund request, any other documentation necessary to support the refund request or the adjustments made in the amended return.
(4) A taxpayer that is not an individual and that files an annual net profit return electronically through the Ohio Business Gateway or in some other manner shall either mail the documents required under this division to the Tax Director at the time of filing or, if electronic submission is available, submit the documents electronically through the Ohio Business Gateway or a portal provided by the City of Brook Park.
(5) After a taxpayer files a tax return, the Tax Director will request, and the taxpayer must provide, any information, statements, or documents required by the City of Brook Park to determine and verify the taxpayer's municipal income tax liability. The requirements imposed under division (f) of this section apply regardless of whether the taxpayer files on a generic form or on a form prescribed by the Tax Director.
(6) Any other documentation, including schedules, other municipal income tax returns, or other supporting documentation necessary to verify credits, income, losses, or other pertinent factors on the return must also be included to avoid delay in processing, or disallowance by the Tax Director of undocumented credits or losses.
(g) (1) A. Except as otherwise provided in this Part 18, each individual income tax return required to be filed under this section shall be completed and filed as required by the Tax Director on or before the date prescribed for the filing of state individual income tax returns under R.C. § 5747.08(G). The taxpayer shall complete and file the return or notice on forms prescribed by the Tax Director or on generic forms, together with remittance made payable to the City of Brook Park.
B. Except as otherwise provided in this Part 18, each annual net profit income tax return required to be filed under this section by a taxpayer that is not an individual must be completed and filed as required by the Tax Director on or before the fifteenth day of the fourth month following the end of the taxpayer's taxable year or period. The taxpayer must complete and file the return or notice on forms prescribed by the Tax Director or on generic forms, together with remittance made payable to the City of Brook Park.
C. In the case of individual income tax return required to be filed by an individual, and net profit income tax return required to be filed by a taxpayer who is not an individual, no remittance is required if the amount shown to be due is ten dollars ($10.00) or less. The City of Brook Park shall not require a qualifying employee whose income consists exclusively of exempt income described in Section 1803.13(t)(2) to file a return under this section.
(2) If the Tax Director considers it necessary in order to ensure the payment of the tax imposed by the City of Brook Park in accordance with this Part 18, the Tax Director may require taxpayers to file returns and make payments otherwise than as provided in this section, including taxpayers not otherwise required to file annual returns.
(h) (1) For taxable years beginning after 2015, the City of Brook Park shall not require a taxpayer to remit tax with respect to net profits if the amount due is ten dollars (10.00) or less.
(2) Any taxpayer not required to remit tax to the City of Brook Park for a taxable year pursuant to division (h)(1) of this section shall file with the City of Brook Park an annual net profit return under division (f)(3) and (f)(4) of this section.
(i) This division shall not apply to payments required to be made under Section 1805.01(b)(1)B.
(1) The date of the postmark on the cover of any report, claim, statement, or other document required to be filed, or any payment required to be made, to or with the Tax Director or Municipality, will be deemed the date of delivery or payment. "The date of postmark" means, in the event there is more than one date on the cover, the earliest date imprinted on the cover by the postal service.
(2) If a payment under this section is made by electronic funds transfer, the payment shall be considered to be made on the date of the timestamp assigned by the first electronic system receiving that payment.
(j) The amounts withheld for the City of Brook Park by an employer, the agent of an employer, or other payer as described in Section 1805.01 will be allowed to the recipient of the compensation as credits against payment of the tax imposed on the recipient unless the amounts withheld were not remitted to the City of Brook Park and the recipient colluded with the employer, agent, or other payer in connection with the failure to remit the amounts withheld.
(k) Each return required by the City of Brook Park to be filed in accordance with this section shall include a box that the taxpayer may check to authorize another person, including a tax return preparer who prepared the return, to communicate with the Tax Director about matters pertaining to the return. The return or instructions accompanying the return will state that by checking the box the taxpayer authorizes the Tax Director to contact the preparer or other person concerning questions that arise during the examination or other review of the return and authorizes the preparer or other person only to provide the Tax Director with information that is missing from the return, to contact the Tax Director for information about the examination or other review of the return or the status of the taxpayer's refund or payments, and to respond to notices about mathematical errors, offsets, or return preparation that the taxpayer has received from the Tax Director and has shown to the preparer or other person. Authorization by the taxpayer of another person to communicate with the Tax Director about matters pertaining to the return does not preclude the Tax Director from contacting the taxpayer regarding such matters.
(l) The Tax Director of the City of Brook Park will accept for filing a generic form of any income tax return, report, or document required by the City of Brook Park in accordance with this Part 18, provided that the generic form, once completed and filed, contains all of the information required by ordinances, resolutions, or rules adopted by the City of Brook Park or Tax Director, and provided that the taxpayer or tax return preparer filing the generic form otherwise complies with the provisions of this Part 18 and of the City of Brook Park's ordinance or resolution governing the filing of returns, reports, or documents.
(m) When income tax returns, reports, or other documents require the signature of a tax return preparer, the Tax Director will accept a facsimile of such a signature in lieu of a manual signature.
(n) (1) As used in this division, “worksite location” has the same meaning as in Section 1805.02.
(2) A person may notify the Tax Director that the person does not expect to be a taxpayer with respect to the Municipal Corporation for a taxable year if both of the following conditions apply:
A. The person was required to file a tax return with the City of Brook Park for the immediately preceding taxable year because the person performed services at a worksite location within the City of Brook Park, and the person has filed all appropriate and required returns and remitted all applicable income tax and withholding payments as provided by this Part 18. The Tax Director is not required to accept an affidavit from a taxpayer who has not complied with the provisions of this Part 18.
B. The person no longer provides services in the City of Brook Park, and does not expect to be subject to the City's income tax for the taxable year. The person must provide the notice in a signed affidavit that briefly explains the person's circumstances, including the location of the previous worksite location and the last date on which the person performed services or made any sales within the Municipal Corporation. The affidavit also must include the following statement: “The affiant has no plans to perform any services within the City of Brook Park, make any sales in the City of Brook Park, or otherwise become subject to the tax levied by the Municipality during the taxable year. If the affiant does become subject to the tax levied by the City of Brook Park for the taxable year, the affiant agrees to be considered a taxpayer and to properly register as a taxpayer with the City of Brook Park, if such a registration is required by the City of Brook Park's resolutions, ordinances, or rules.” The person shall sign the affidavit under penalty of perjury.
C. If a person submits an affidavit described in division (n)(2) of this section, the Tax Director shall not require the person to file any tax return for the taxable year unless the Tax Director possesses information that conflicts with the affidavit or if the circumstances described in the affidavit change, or the taxpayer has engaged in activity which results in work being performed, services provided, sales made, or other activity that results in municipal taxable income reportable to the City of Brook Park in the taxable year. It is the responsibility of the taxpayer to comply with the provisions of this Part 18 relating to the reporting and filing of municipal taxable income on an annual municipal income tax return, even if an affidavit has been filed with the Tax Director for the taxable year. Nothing in division (n) of this section prohibits the Tax Director from performing an audit of the person.
(Ord. 9984-2015. Passed 12-15-15; Ord. 10068-2017. Passed 3-7-17; Ord. 11012-2018. Passed 1-23-18; Ord. 11375-2023. Passed 12-12-23.)