COLUMBUS — The state tax department has found enough money to hire extra auditors to identify delinquent taxpayers and increase revenue for Ohio.

        Some Republican lawmakers blasted a similar proposal two months ago during the budget debate.

        Thanks to internal cuts and a softer-than-expected budget cut last week, the Department of Taxation found the $2.5 million needed to hire 87 additional auditors, Tax Commissioner Tom Zaino said Wednesday.

        The department estimates that the extra auditors will unearth about $8.5 million in uncollected revenue this budget year, which started July 1.

        With the expected hiring of an additional 40 auditors as part of the next state budget, that amount could increase to $25 million annually. The department has about 170 auditors today.

        “Taxpayers need to know that everyone's paying their fair share of taxes — it's an important part of the tax system,” Mr. Zaino said.

        “Also, we want to make sure we're doing everything we can to collect existing taxes to try to avoid raising new or additional taxes in light of the state's budget problems.”

        Mr. Zaino pushed the plan last spring as lawmakers struggled to close a budget deficit that started at $1.2 billion and eventually reached $1.9 billion as the poor economy hurt state revenues.

        The GOP-controlled Senate agreed with the plan, but House Republicans opposed it and stripped it from the budget bill. They accused the Taxation Department of using heavy-handed tactics in seeking unpaid taxes.

        “Go out, invest in economic development, grow the state economy, that's what we need,” Rep. Jim Trakas, an Independence Republican who helped shoot down the proposal, said Wednesday. “Not more people trying to find creative ways to get tax money.”

        Senate President Richard Finan, who backed the department's proposal last spring, said Wednesday he was happy the department found the money to hire the auditors.

        But he also questioned, if the money was available, why Mr. Zaino came to lawmakers in the first place.

        “That does make you cynical,” he said.

        Mr. Zaino said he approached Gov. Bob Taft about reducing the department's expected budget cut after lawmakers fixed the deficit. Mr. Taft agreed to reduce the cut from 3 percent to 1.5 percent to help the department hire the auditors, Mr. Zaino said.

        “Whoever would have dreamt that the governor was willing to back off our 3 percent cut? That was old and cold at that point,” Mr. Zaino said. “I thought I was going to get more cuts, not less.”

        Mr. Zaino defended his department, saying it does not abuse its position and has never had a complaint against it upheld since the Ohio Taxpayers' Bill of Rights was adopted 12 years ago.

        “We collect taxes, it's not a popular thing,” he said. “I feel it's unfortunate people have taken this anti-tax sentiment and turned it into an anti-Tax Department sentiment.”

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