OneStop Business-friendly features announced

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) — Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes announced on June 19 that there are now new features on Kentucky Business One Stop Portal, that will make things easier for new businesses to register and interact with the Secretary of State’s Office and Department of Revenue.

The enhancements, officials say, save business both time and money by streamlining transactions and data, as well as providing more flexibility and security in information management.

The website now displays a “dashboard” of all a business owner’s transactions in one place. Officials say the dashboard also provides the option to view and print a Sales and Use Tax Permit.

 This ability is a large step up from procedures in other states like Michigan, where a small business owner must call the State Government and work through an automated message system by phone. After getting through the phone system, they’re then sent a copy of their Sales Permit through snail mail.

“Expanding and improving the portal in order to increase efficiency for both businesses and government agencies has been a top priority of mine, and Kentucky is now leading the nation in this field,” said Grimes. “We’ve already seen substantial time savings through the portal, and these exciting new features will allow businesses to spend even less time interacting with government, and more time creating jobs and stimulating our economy.”

Officials say the portal is also more secure and flexible than ever before, allowing business owners to grant role-based access to others who may act on behalf of the business. For example, a business owner may allow agents such as lawyers, accountants, or managers to perform certain tasks within the portal, including registering for or paying a tax, or adding employees to the business’s unemployment insurance account.

Business owners have provided overwhelming positive feedback about these new features,” said Grimes. “I’m proud of what we have accomplished with our One Stop partners and of the positive impact the portal is having on Kentucky businesses. I look forward to continuing our unprecedented inter-agency cooperation to make Kentucky even more business friendly.”