GSA sets up business registry portal

Dry cleaners, restaurants and trucking companies will be the first to get one-stop business registration and licensing services from a new General Services Administration Web portal.The National Business Registry will go into operation next year if GSA can secure additional funding, GSA’s Barry West said. It will be accessible through , , and participating states' home pages.Developed with a $100,000 grant from FirstGov, the portal will letsmall businesses obtain tax identification and employer numbers, trademarks and state licenses online at a single site, West said.Federal agencies participating initially are GSA, the IRS, the Patent and Trademark Office, the Small Business Administration and the Social Security Administration. They are joined by Illinois, North Carolina, New Jersey, South Carolina and Washington state.The IRS is developing a way to issue employer identification numbersonline.West said the Environmental Protection Agency and Food and DrugAdministration have expressed interest in the project, becausethey also require permits and licenses.GSA hired Vector Research Inc. of Ann Arbor, Mich., to develop thebusiness registry prototype.