Six-state study finds jobs impact of fracking exaggerated by industry and supporters
Shale drilling, or fracking, has created jobs, particularly in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and cushioned some drilling-intensive areas in those states from the worst effects of the recession and the weak recovery. As this report documents, however, the number of shale jobs created is far below industry claims and remains a small share of overall […]
House GOP on income-tax cut: Not so fast
Jim Siegel’s piece outlines a divide between Senate and House Republicans in Ohio. Senate leadership supports a bill that would cut individual income taxes by 4 percent, but “House Republicans might have other ideas.” House Speaker William G. Batchelder, R-Medina, said he is still looking for assurances that $400 million is the correct amount. If […]
1.8 million Ohioans have less to eat Nov. 1
For immediate release Contact Wendy Patton, 614.221.4505 Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, 614.271.4805 Download release (1 pg) Full report End of SNAP increase hits the poor, Ohio economy, report finds Food assistance will drop on Nov. 1 for some 1.8 million low-income Ohio families, according to a new report by Policy Matters Ohio. The cuts mean $29 a […]
Cheap cup of coffee for poor, four-figure tax cut for affluent under new Senate proposal, analysis finds
For immediate release Contact Zach Schiller, 216.361.9801 Full report Download release (1 pg) Under SB 210, poor residents on average would get $1 a year The 4 percent state income-tax cut proposed in a new Senate bill might buy a cheap cup of coffee a year, on average, for low-income Ohioans, while giving more than […]
Got $400 million?
This Akron Beacon Journal editorial notes that in promoting a 4 percent reduction in individual income-tax rates “Republicans at the Statehouse have applied a familiar salve to ease their differences over the Medicaid expansion.” The proposal emerged just one day after a bipartisan majority of the State Controlling Board expanded Medicaid, fulfilling the request of […]
Use Medicaid savings to improve Ohio, not to give more tax cuts to the affluent, think tank says
Savings from the Medicaid expansion authorized this week – estimated at $404 million – should not be used for a new income-tax cut, said Policy Matters Ohio in a report released today. “Devoting savings to a tax cut mostly for affluent Ohioans is inappropriate when the state has so many unmet needs,” said Wendy Patton, […]
Medicaid expansion is good for Ohio
Medicaid expansion is a victory for all of Ohio. The state Controlling Board’s decision today to grant appropriation authority means that 366,000 low-income workers in Ohio will now be able to see a doctor for preventive care. This will help reduce health-care costs as more Ohioans live healthier, more productive lives. Ohio’s hospitals
New Ohio EITC a good first step
For immediate release Contact Hannah Halbert, 614.221.4505 Download release (1 pg) Full report Report makes proposals for stronger state earned income credit More than 440,000 Ohioans will be eligible for the state’s new Earned Income Tax Credit, at an average of $74 per recipient, according to a new report from Policy Matters Ohio. However, the […]
Fast-food jobs pay too low to make ends meet, study finds
Nearly three-quarters of families enrolled in major public benefit programs work jobs that don’t pay enough to provide for basic necessities. Compensation is particularly poor in the fast-food industry.
Federal shutdown hurts federal workers, housing markets and local economies
For immediate release Contact Wendy Patton, 614.221.4505 Download release (1 pg) Full report Impact in Ohio to deepen if the month passes without resolution, report finds Of the 75,800 federal workers in Ohio, 6,020 had applied for unemployment by October 8, likely because they’d been furloughed as a result of the federal shutdown, according to […]
State budget makes some investments, but tax cuts and failure to expand Medicaid shortchange Ohioans
For immediate release Contact Wendy Patton, 614.221.4505 Read the full report Download press release (2 pp) The new state budget’s General Revenue Fund will grow by $4.5 billion over two years, but did not restore key investments to 2010-11 levels, according to a review by Policy Matters Ohio. The budget also cut taxes by $1.9 […]
Opportunity Cost of the Opportunity Corridor
More than 25 percent of Cleveland residents either carpool to work or commute via public transit, walking or biking; 11.5 percent of commuters have no access to a vehicle. Given the city’s commitment to sustainability, clean air, and vibrancy and equity in its urban core, Cleveland should consider alternatives built around public transit that include […]