Ohio Can Raise Money And Be Fair
With a projected $4 billion gaping hole in the state budget, Ohio desperately needs revenue. Basic services — education, home care for senior citizens, child care that we vowed to provide poor families when we ended welfare — are at stake. The state must raise taxes, and it must do so in ways that put […]
Ohioans Pay For Prison Now
It may sometimes seem that what happens behind bars has little bear ing on the economy, and that economics has little to do with public safety. In fact, criminal justice policy is all about how we use resources –economic resources, human resources and development resources. As Ohio stares down a $4 billion budget deficit, a […]
The Ohio Tax Formula: Make MORE, Pay LESS
The state and local tax system is stacked against low- and middle income Ohioans. The less you make, the greater the share of your income you have to pay. As upside-down as that may seem, it’s getting worse. So reported a recent study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a Washington, D.C., research […]
Loose Ohio Law, Practice Lets Business Taxes Leak Away
Amid the corporate scandals capturing headlines this year, another nearly invisible scandal has been battering the state budget. The corporate franchise tax — Ohio’s corporate profits tax — has been withering. In the mid-1970s, the levy accounted for 16 percent of the taxes supporting the state’s main fund for operations, its General Revenue Fund. Last […]
All that Cash for College
CLEVELAND – The writer is executive director of Policy Matters Ohio, a policy research institute in Cleveland, funded primarily by the George Gund Foundation. Observers across the political spectrum worry about Ohio’s shameful levels of higher education. We rank 39th among the states in the percentage of adults who can claim a bachelor’s degree. This […]
Don’t Bank on Biotech Boom
Only a few years ago, Gliatech Inc. was one of Northeast Ohio’s best known commercial hopes in the growing biotechnology industry. Now, it’s broke. The failure of this small company, which sold a gel used to prevent scarring after back surgery, was quickly dismissed by leaders of efforts to build a biotechnology industry in the […]
Ohio Needs to Rethink its Unemployment Compensation System
Unemployment insurance is crucial, temporary support forworkers who lose their jobs through no fault of their own. Lastyear, more than 350,000 Ohioans received benefits, averaging$254 a week. Many jobless workers in Ohio are not eligible for insurance,however. Ohio has among the highest earnings requirements inthe country. To qualify for unemployment, Ohioans must earn$172 a week […]
Forget Old Assumptions About Economic Development
The departure of economic development director Chris Warren has left Cleveland with big shoes to fill. We must consider carefully the skill, philosophy, vision and commitment that a new director should bring to our city. The economy of the Cleveland metropolitan area drives the economy of Northeast Ohio region and the entire state. People, skills, […]
Memo to Mayor Campbell
As Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell confronts her third month in office, the challenges of the job are more apparent than ever. But as she deals with the daily details – in budgets, personnel, technology – Campbell must not forget that it was her commitment to people and fresh ideas that brought her so many supporters. […]
Unemployment Insurance Revisions Needed: Ohio’s High Eligibility Standards Harm Poorest Workers Most
The recession is exposing flaws in Ohio’s unemployment-insurance system.More than 800,000 unemployed Ohioans sought initial benefits last year, up 42 percent from the year before. The flood of claims has made itself felt in the frustrating busy signals many applicants are getting when they call to file their claims and in the mounting number of […]
The Color of Money: Black-White Wage Gap Persists
Although U.S. economists still sing the praises of the last decade’s boom, a recent study confirms that many African Americans have not been hearing the same tune. The State of Working Ohio 2001, recently released by Policy Matters Ohio, reveals a steepening wage gap between black and white workers, overall decreasing trends in wages and […]
Ohio’s Low-Wage Workers Fall Through a Loosely Woven Safety Net
As the drumbeat of layoffs grows louder, unemployment insurance is becoming a more crucial safety net for many Ohioans. But that net isn’t woven thick enough to keep many from falling through it. In Ohio, only 31 percent of unemployed workers received benefits last year, well below the national average. Though there are a number […]