Welfare spending advocates are up in arms over Ohio’s use of food stamp work requirement waivers, calling the waivers unfair and even racist. The problem, according to progressive think tank Policy Matters Ohio, is state officials’ refusal to waive food stamp work requirements for as many Ohioans as possible. Adults
A new study suggests Ohio tax policy is heavily in favor of the affluent, while hitting the poorest the hardest. The state tax changes made in the past three years have given the top-earning 1 percent of Ohioans an average of $17,618 annual reduction in taxes, while the bottom fifth,
Ohio now ranks third in the nation for families forced to skip meals or eat less because they didn’t have the money or resources to put food on their table. Advocates for the poor blame the increase on a state decision to cut off food stamps to tens of thousands
Ohio’s economy may be improving, but in many ways the state is still struggling nearly six years after the end of the Great Recession. Experts have different ideas on how to help the economy get stronger. Ohio Public Radio’s Karen Kasler reports. Recent reports say Ohio’s economy continues to grow,
Tax abatement has been a common carrot that communities use to attract development. To date, however, cities and other tax-abating governments haven’t shared much about the accumulated financial consequences of those tax breaks. Now, because of an edict from the board that oversees government accounting, they will. That means that
This fall, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is expected to announce new federal rules to address predatory lending practices, regulations that some policy experts say cannot come soon enough. Credit: krosseel/Morguefile COLUMBUS, Ohio – Legislation restricting payday-lending practice was passed in Ohio more than seven years ago, but some policy
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. John Kasich likes to trumpet that Ohio has added 350,000 private sector jobs on his watch as he touts his resume on the presidential campaign trail. But his claim has prompted some grumbling. After the Republican presidential debate Aug. 6 in Cleveland, critics complained that Kasich
Forget the millionaire’s tax. These days, states are looking to balance their budgets by raising taxes that hit the poor hardest. There’s been a notable shift in recent years — especially among Republican governors — to raise sales and other consumption taxes, which more heavily hit those at the bottom
The new state budget continues to slash critical funding from Ohio communities Gov. John Kasich and state lawmakers boast that their new state budget will give generous tax breaks to Ohio families and small businesses. But the plan will do that partly on the backs of the poor, as well
Clark and Champaign counties both saw job growth in May, part of a trend in which Ohio added about 12,000 jobs overall as the region’s economy continues to slowly recover. Clark County added 700 jobs last month, a state report released Tuesday shows, while Champaign County added 200 jobs. The
Progressives and conservatives say Ohioans should be concerned Republicans who lead the Senate are preparing the final version of the budget, which is likely to come up for a vote in the Finance Committee Tuesday. But as Statehouse correspondent Karen Kasler reports, analysts with two very different viewpoints agree that
Another Viewpoint is a column The News-Herald makes available so all sides of issues may by aired. Brian Rice is the Chair Person for the Community Resource and Advocacy Committee of the Association of Specialists in Aging. He’s also a board member for the Lake County Council on Aging, Director
