Nothing right about this ‘cure’
It is a great thing when Ohio can point to a model law. The 40-year-old Consumer Sales Practices Act (CSPA), lauded for its broad and solid protections of Ohioans, is just that — one of the nation’s best preventions against fraud and unfair business practices. It was adopted after an extensive study by the Ohio […]
Schools feel state budget cuts
Ohio’s constitution requires “a thorough and efficient system of common schools throughout the state.” It’s time for state government leaders to acknowledge that mandate, and for taxpayers and employers to insist that they comply with it. Over the last century, the Ohio Supreme Court repeatedly has addressed the need for enough funding to underwrite such […]
Using the Earned Income Tax Credit to Build a Secure Financial Future
It’s tax season! While some of us dread looking through envelopes and shoe boxes to locate half-remembered receipts, there is a bright spot for many working families – the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The EITC is the largest poverty relief program in the country for working families. Just last year, more than $247 million […]
The Oberlin Project: Op-Ed by Amanda Woodrum
Despite the demise of federal climate change legislation, cities across the nation continue efforts started under the 2009 federal stimulus act to revitalize their communities and make them sustainable. One of the most inspiring examples is right here in Ohio. The Oberlin Project is a collaboration among the City of Oberlin, Oberlin College, the city’s […]
Don’t let poor and middle class bear burden of deficit reduction
Income inequality in America is growing. Between 1940 and 1979, U.S. income grew (in real dollars) by enough for every American to earn $28,749 more. The richest 10 percent got about a quarter (28 percent) of that, and the bottom 90 percent shared the rest. In stark contrast, between 1979 and 2008, U.S. income grew […]
Balance needed to reduce debt
The past decade has been tough on Ohio. Wages for the typical worker dropped more here than in any other state. Our unemployment rate rose in August for the third straight month, to 9.1 percent. As the economy falters, budget cuts threaten to keep us in a slump. The new state budget slashes public services […]
That 2005 overhaul of Ohio’s tax code? It isn’t working
On Friday, Akron residents and others from Northeast Ohio will have a chance to tell a special committee of the Ohio House of Representatives what they think about the state tax system. If there is one message the committee should hear, it’s this: The big overhaul of the tax system in 2005 —billed as just […]
Why the rush to sell off Ohio’s assets?
Ohio used to be known for making and building things. Now state government seems to be more interested in selling them. The state House and Senate have passed versions of the budget that contemplate massive privatization of public assets. They could range from the Ohio Turnpike and Ohio Lottery to public schools and college dormitories. […]
Plans to peddle the state’s assets seriously flawed
Amid slashed school funding, Medicaid changes, drilling in state parks, reductions to libraries and local governments, and cutbacks ranging from child care subsidies to adult basic literacy, it’s easy to overlook one of the most far-reaching proposals in the budget approved by the Ohio House this month. Language in the budget bill would authorize the […]
When families build assets, the whole economy gains
Northeast Ohio needs new ways to help families — especially the most vulnerable among us who have the least — build assets so they can grow and protect their incomes. Asset-building strategies can be simple: a program that guides tax filers to buy savings bonds with their refunds, another that enables a college education savings […]
Ohio tax loopholes worth closing
The debate over Ohio’s state operating budget gets under way for real today when Gov. John Kasich’s two-year budget proposal is revealed. As the General Assembly considers the budget proposal, here’s something that deserves close attention: the $7 billion in exemptions, credits and deductions from state taxes that otherwise would be paid each year. This […]
A tool kit for Ohio’s revival
As Ohio’s new governor, John Kasich, begins his term, this is a perfect moment for our state to rethink priorities and map new paths. High unemployment, big budget shortfalls, the continued erosion of our industrial base — our problems might feel overwhelming. But during and after our country’s toughest economic time, the Great Depression, Americans […]