Lawmakers Criticize Tax Proposals

Canton Repository

by G. Patrick Kelley, Repository Business Editor

Both sides will be watching to see the details of the tax change proposals Gov. Bob Taft outlined in his State of the State address.

State Rep. Scott Oelslager, R-North Canton, and state Sen. Kirk Schuring, R-Jackson Township, both say changes are needed in the way Ohio taxes its businesses and citizens, however, the broad strokes Taft gave Tuesday leave a lot of details to be worked out in the state legislature.

But Zach Schiller, research director for Policy Matters Ohio, a Cleveland-based research group that concentrates on issues affecting low- and middle-income citizens, said some of Taft’s proposals don’t sound good for the state.

Taft’s proposed 21-percent income tax reduction across the board won’t help the $4 billion deficit the state already faces, Schiller said.

Because state income taxes are deductible from federal taxes, Ohioans will pay a higher percentage of federal taxes with the reduction.

And, because Ohio has a graduated income tax, the top 1 percent of taxpayers