Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009

'Tax Lady' Roni Deutch plans to open 5-10 Tax Centers in Columbus

The Tax Lady has plans to expand her tax preparation business into the Columbus area.

Celebrity attorney Roni Deutch, known as “The Tax Lady” in her national television commercials, is looking to open five to 10 Roni Deutch Tax Center franchises over the next five years in Columbus and surrounding areas.

“They are great territories and there are growing markets in and around (Columbus,)” said Russell Deutch, Roni’s brother and vice president of franchise sales for the company.

Roni Deutch stars in TV commercials for her Sacramento, Calif.-based tax resolution law office, often urging viewers to contact her about solving their problems with the IRS.

Her brother said the Roni Deutch Tax Center franchises do not offer tax resolution services, but instead focus on tax preparation and other year-round services.

“Many of her clients could have avoided their IRS problems if they just filed their taxes,” Russell Deutch said.

Plans to move into the Columbus area are part of a company-wide expansion of 1,000 centers across the U.S. over the next five years, including in Georgia. The company now covers 300 territories in more than 15 states.

In Georgia, a Roni Deutch Tax Center is scheduled to open in Kennesaw. Russell Deutch said there are plans to open 20 locations in the Atlanta area in the next few years.

He said they are looking for prospective franchise owners in the Columbus area.

“When it comes to taxes, this is a recession-resistant type of business,” he said. “Everyone has to file their taxes.”

The opportunity could be a draw for those in the financial industry who have lost their jobs, he added. They are also open to allowing franchisees to offer other services including bookkeeping, credit card debt resolution services, identity-theft protection and insurance sales.