Loophole for retailers costs Ohio $60 million a year
Ohio gives out more than $9 billion a year in tax breaks. Many of these are unnecessary, outdated or unproductive. As the legislature’s new Tax Expenditure Review Committee prepares to review them all, Policy Matters Ohio is launching a new series, “Tax Break Take,” which takes a close look at select expenditures to determine whether […]
Policy Matters testifies against Medicaid work requirements
Earlier this month, the Ohio Department of Medicaid announced plans to ask the federal government for permission to impose work requirements on Medicaid expansion patients. At the first public comment hearing in Cincinnati, Policy Matters Senior Research Director Wendy Patton testified against the proposal, arguing work requirements create unnecessary barriers to care and aren’t effective. […]
Policy Matters findings: Letting college savings plans be used for private K-12 tuition reduces revenue, advantages wealthy
The new federal tax law gives wealthy Americans who send their kids to private school a tax cut. Meanwhile, the Trump Administration and congressional Republicans propose cutting funding for public education. A new brief released today by Policy Matters Ohio argues that as Ohio lawmakers work to align state law with changes to the federal […]
Policy Matters adds Rob Moore to research team
This week, Rob Moore joined Policy Matters Ohio as a researcher. Moore will focus his work on state budget analysis and human service policy. Previously, he worked at the Ohio Legislative Services Commission where he evaluated the potential fiscal impact of state legislation. As a policy analyst with the University of California, Berkeley’s American Jobs […]
State to Uber: Pay up
Company hasn’t been collecting sales tax, as it should The Ohio Department of Taxation has told Uber, the ride-hailing company, that it must pay up. Uber is responsible under Ohio law for collecting state and local sales tax, the department concluded. It assessed the company $1.35 million in such taxes for the third quarter of […]
Advocates call for policies that support Ohio’s workers
Later this month, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear Janus v. AFSCME, which threatens the ability of unions to collect fair share fees. Ohio legislators also recently unveiled a slate of proposals designed to give more power to corporations at the expense of workers, including so-called “right to work” legislation, which could greatly reduce the […]
Experts to announce pro-worker policy recommendations
Columbus — Tomorrow, Tuesday, February 13, Policy Matters Ohio will release their report “A new way forward: 10 ways to support Ohio’s working people,” which calls for state policies that create security, stability and prosperity for workers after years of eroding protections. The report arrives as workers face the most severe attacks on their rights […]
Medicaid works, work requirements don’t
The vast majority of Medicaid enrollees are working, looking for work, caring for an ill family member, or are ill, injured or disabled themselves. Yet the Ohio Department of Medicaid is preparing to ask the federal government for permission to impose work requirements on hundreds of thousands. A new Policy Matters Ohio new fact sheet […]
Policy Matters statement on Trump tax plan
As President Trump speaks in Cincinnati about his tax plan, Policy Matters Ohio Executive Director Amy Hanauer issued the following statement: “Ohio families and communities will be hurt by the tax and budget choices of the Trump administration. President Trump’s tax and budget plan adds at least $1.4 trillion to our national deficit. It provides […]
Planned DOL rule lets bosses take billions from workers
Ohio workers could lose $224 million This Monday, the Department of Labor (DOL) will close public comments on a proposed rule that would allow employers to confiscate the tips earned by workers. This would cost tipped workers in Ohio an estimated $224 million a year according to the Economic Policy Institute. Yesterday, Bloomberg Law revealed […]
Federal tax overhaul puts Ohio kids at risk
New Policy Matters fact sheets show what’s at stake This year, the federal tax overhaul becomes the law of the land. Experts estimate that over 10 years, it will add $1.5 trillion to the federal deficit. As lawmakers look for programs to cut to offset the costs, children could find themselves caught in the crosshairs. […]
A flash of tax break transparency: New rule not being used to its fullest potential
For the first time, governments across Ohio and the country are reporting the cost of tax abatements they grant for economic development. The information is required under a new rule by the nonprofit that sets national financial reporting standards for governments, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). Policy Matters Ohio reviewed disclosures made by 59 […]