Department of Taxation suspends Roberto’s vendor’s license

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Ohio Department of Taxation has suspended the vendor license of Roberto’s Italian Ristorante, downtown.

A public notice posted on the West Federal Street restaurant’s door states the restaurant is “prohibited from making retail sales” as of Wednesday.

A spokesman for the Department of Taxation said the department cannot provide information specific to Roberto’s, but he explained a license suspension and public notice typically indicates “the business has fallen behind in either paying their sales tax they’ve collected or filing returns.”

He also noted businesses tagged with a public notice “are those in our habitual offenders program, and those businesses typically have demonstrated difficulty complying with the law,” said communications Director Gary Gudmundson. “By law, the Department of Taxation is able to suspend the business or the business license, in this case the vendor’s license, if they’ve failed to comply two months in a row or three times in a 12-month period.”

To get back in good standing, a business must pay off its sales tax obligation or file all outstanding sales tax returns, he said.

Attempts to reach the business owners Thursday were not successful.

Roberto’s opened downtown in February 2012, according to Vindicator files.