Solution for village tax refund issue

To the Editor,

The village continues to pay out more tax refund money to other communities than they take in due to employees working from home instead of in an office in Richfield.

Want to solve that problem? Trucking.

Richfield is a prime place for trucking due to I-271, I-77 and the yurnpike. 

Not only is trucking never leaving the country, but it is a very lucrative tax business for the communities that welcome trucking.

When CF went out of business, the village immediately changed the zoning to office/light industrial when it should be busy with trucks and money flowing in.

We do not need more empty offices. Empty office space equals zero income tax.

But guess what? A truck has a home terminal and all of that income tax goes to that home terminal municipality. 

Stop trying to push office buildings that bring very little income tax. That is 1980s thinking. Trucking is one of the very few businesses that will always be in the U.S. with a home base somewhere. Think of all the income tax the village lost when it screwed around with Sysco Foods that ended up in Old Brooklyn. How many other trucking type businesses did the village push away over the years?  

Stop shunning trucking. Instead pursue it and welcome trucking in Richfield. Richfield is perfect for trucking. If you need help, call me. I’ve been in trucking for over 36 years and have the connections to assist. 

Stacy Sadar

W. Streetsboro Road

Editor’s note: The Richfield Times asked Richfield Village Finance Director Sandy Turk to explain how trucking companies pay income tax. Her response follows.

A truck that travels only within the State of Ohio will have the income tax on withholding go to the municipality of the home terminal. The income tax on net profits goes to the municipality where the headquarters are located, not where the terminals are located. A truck that travels outside of Ohio will have the income tax on withholding prorated based on destinations and the amount of time spent at the home terminal. Lastly, the income tax the village has received from the trucking companies has been pretty consistent during the pandemic as the truckers have not been able to work from home and ask for refunds for doing so. She added that the 13 trucking/shipping companies paid 16% of the withholding taxes that the village received in 2021 and two of the large commercial companies paid 19%. ∞