Columbus, OH – Greg R. Lawson, research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, issued the following statement regarding Franklin County Judge David Cain’s decision to uphold a provision in Ohio’s budget that allows the state to collect municipal business-profit taxes from cities, counties, and villages.
“The decision by Franklin County Judge David Cain to uphold an Ohio law that allows businesses, that must file tax returns in multiple jurisdictions, to voluntarily consolidate their filings through the state is an important step in reforming our broken tax system.
“The Buckeye Institute, along with national organizations such as the Tax Foundation, have long called for Ohio to fix its byzantine municipal income-tax system, which is one of the most complicated and unfair systems in the nation, and continues to be a significant obstacle to Ohio’s economic growth.
“The reform, passed in the most recent biennial budget, is a solid step towards fixing our tax code and it is disappointing that many local officials would rather sue the state than repair a system that harms Ohio’s small business owners who don’t have the money to hire high priced accountants.
“No doubt this won’t be the end of the story as appeals will likely be filed. But today, Ohio businesses can breathe a little easier and focus on growing and creating jobs.”
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