The Capital Tax Collection Bureau (CapTax) begins 2009 with a new executive director and wide array of service enhancements that will benefit taxpayers throughout the midstate.  Beginning his duties as executive director on January 2 was Joshua Vecchio, who was picked for the agency’s top slot after an exhaustive six month search by the Bureau’s board of directors.  Vecchio replaces former director William Harbeson, who retired from the post in early summer of 2008.

In addition to Vecchio’s hiring, CapTax is also implementing a wide range of technical, policy and other changes that are designed to better improve customer services for the hundreds of thousands of taxpayers represented by CapTax’s 67 member municipalities and school districts.  Over $90 million in local earned income taxes, local services taxes, and other municipal taxes are collected by CapTax each year.

Vecchio said improvements being made to the Bureau this year include:

- The installation of high-speed laser printers to print tax forms and other documents in-house, rather than purchasing bulk forms.  The new printers enable the Bureau to provide faster and more personalized tax forms on standardized paper, thus saving thousands annually on both paper and mailing costs.

-  Adding a high-speed sorter/mailer that takes forms directly from the printer and processes them for mailing, thus further speeding the distribution process and automatically determining the cheapest postal rates.

-  Adding new imaging software and hardware that will speed tax data retrieval and storage, enabling faster service for taxpayers and members seeking information about their accounts.

-  In conjunction with the complete revamping of the Bureau’s webpresence, the addition of online filing capabilities, allowing taxpayers to fill out and pay their taxes online in one easy process, saving substantial operational costs.

-  Exploring an expedited check-clearing process that improves depositing practices and speeds account transfers, allowing funds to be processed faster for distribution to members.

CapTax Board Chairman Robert Kroboth said the bureau is delighted to have Vecchio on board: “Joshua is extremely well-versed in tax law and, as a long time resident of the midstate, has more than ample knowledge of CapTax and its mission.  He is a tax law specialist and brings substantial energy, creativity and zeal to his new post.  We expect great things from him and the bureau as we move forward into the new Act 32 world of local tax collections.”

Kroboth said Vecchio is a graduate of Penn State University, Widener Law School, and earned his Masters degree in Taxation Law from Georgetown University.  Formerly an assistant public defender with the Dauphin County Public Defenders Office, Vecchio has extensive private legal practice experience ranging from collective bargaining to class action suits.  He will be paid approximately $70,000 annually to head the agency, which employs 45 and has a budget of $3.7 million for this year.

Vecchio said the many improvements the bureau is making are designed to reduce CapTax’s costs of operations, with the savings passed on to the bureau’s member municipalities and districts.

“The advent of e-commerce and the pending ramifications of the passage of Act 32 dictates that we conduct our operations with greater efficiencies and an eye to the future,” said Kroboth.  “Our membership was resolute about keeping the Bureau in full operation and positioning it for future growth.  Rarely does one see such uniform agreement across so many diverse geographical borders in the midstate.”