Rural growth tax credit should be sent to the scrap heap
The rural growth tax credit made it into the corrections bill for the 2018-19 Ohio budget among the final amendments added in Conference Committee. The provision would create a quasi-public investment fund backed by $45 million in tax breaks. Similar programs have been expensive and unproductive in other states. Governor Kasich vetoed an earlier version […]
GOP Senate tax plan: Another giveaway to the wealthiest
On Thursday, Senate Republicans released their new tax proposal. Like the House bill, it would give hundreds of billions of dollars in tax cuts to wealthy households and major corporations at the expense of low-and middle-income families. Ultimately, many low- and middle-income families would be harmed by the plan. White House economic advisor Gary Cohn, […]
A mixed bag: The Ohio 2018-2019 budget
Progress on drug epidemic, not enough revenue to meet needs Ohio legislators forged the state’s 2018-2019 budget as revenue dropped and opioid deaths soared. In the midst of the drug epidemic, lawmakers scrambled to find money to stem it. In new analysis, Policy Matters Ohio finds that by and large, Ohio’s upside down tax system […]
GOP Tax bill redistributes wealth upward
The Republican tax plan delivers enormous tax cuts to the wealthiest Ohioans while raising taxes for some middle-class families and dramatically growing the deficit. By 2027, cuts for the wealthiest 1 percent of Ohioans will be more than $55,000 a year. The bill opens a $1.5 trillion hole in the federal deficit and will create […]
Ohio lawmakers stingy on work supports for struggling families
For Ohioans living on the edge of poverty, holding down a job can be difficult, especially when pay is too low for many to afford food, shelter and care for young children. Ohio’s 2018-2019 state budget failed to make investments needed to support Ohio’s vast number of workers in low-wage jobs. Policy Matters Ohio examines […]
Unemployment compensation bill needs work
Policy Matters points to significant flaws House Bill 382 is an improvement over previous unemployment compensation (UC) solvency bills, but it still depends too heavily on cuts in worker benefits and needs major changes, Policy Matters Ohio Research Director Zach Schiller said in testimony to an Ohio House committee today. Schiller said it was a […]
White House to defend reduced overtime threshold
Those making more than $31,000 could still be out of luck Ohio salaried workers had $45 million per year on the line yesterday when the Trump administration issued a last minute decision to defend the administrative overtime rule set by the Department of Labor (DOL) last year. Unfortunately, the administration has signaled that it may […]
Congress advances tax cuts for wealthiest at expense of most Ohioans
The budget resolution narrowly passed the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday, bringing Congress one step closer to enacting $1.5 trillion in unpaid-for tax cuts largely for the wealthy and profitable corporations while making low- and middle-income Americans foot the bill. Regrettably, every Ohio Republican representative voted to side with special interests and the wealthy instead […]
State budget slams local governments, transit agencies
After years of draining resources from Ohio’s local governments and transit agencies, the 2018-2019 state budget slashes funding for counties and transit agencies by nearly $200 million a year after this budget period ends. In two new Budget Bites, Policy Matters examines how the 2018-2019 state budget affects local governments and public transit agencies. To […]
Ohio lets too many residents off the hook with income tax
Policy Matters testifies before House Ways and Means Committee Most states require people who spend at least 183 days a year there to pay income tax. Ohio, on the other hand, allows people to live in the state for well over half the year without paying income taxes. The policy amounts to a giveaway for […]
Lawmakers target drug epidemic in Ohio budget
Threats to Medicaid could undermine efforts One of the bright spots in the 2018-2019 Ohio budget is the concerted and coordinated efforts lawmakers made to steer more resources to stem the drug epidemic that has consumed communities across the state. But much of that progress could be undone if lawmakers make good on a threat […]
Unemployment bill not the fix we need
Bill improved, but still whacks benefits, uses iffy numbers Ohio Rep. Kirk Schuring has introduced a bill aimed at bringing financial stability to the Ohio unemployment compensation system. But an initial review of House Bill 382 shows that it is not a real solvency plan, although it has some improvements over previous bills. HB 382 […]