With the Ohio House passing its version of the budget, tax changes could be coming to Ohio families. But the question is, are they the right changes? Trying to discuss optimal tax policy is like being Ben Stein in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. But taxes play a critical role in determining how our state operates, and knowing what’s best for the state helps us evaluate if our elected officials are making good tax policy that will help growth Ohio’s economy.
In an opinion piece on Watchdog.org, Buckeye’s Rea S. Hederman Jr. looks at the policies in House Bill 6, writing, “Ohio lawmakers recently introduced legislation to subsidize the Davis-Besse and Perry nuclear power plants, reportedly to the tune of $150 million per year. Government subsidies and corporate bailouts interfere with free markets and allow governments – rather than consumers and competition – to pick the private sector’s ‘winners and losers.’”
Brianna McKinnon doesn’t look at being a teacher as just a job she holds, but says “it is who she is.” And she has chosen one of the most difficult teaching paths available—working with at risk youth in a school where it is hard to find substitute teachers let alone full-time teachers. While being a teacher is who Brianna is, it is not the only role she fills. She is also a military spouse, which means she and her family have no say over where they will live—that decision is up to the U.S. Department of Defense. After earning her teaching certificate in Washington state, Brianna’s husband was transferred to Ohio, to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
In The Des Moines Register, Buckeye’s Rea S. Hederman Jr. and Iowans for Tax Relief’s John Hendrickson urge Iowa policymakers to conduct an audit of the state’s Medicaid program, writing, “A cursory review of the Iowa state budget shows health services and Medicaid to be the second-largest line item. That alone suggests a program audit is in order to ensure every dollar is spent wisely — and that resources are used to help people who truly need Medicaid services.”
As lawmakers begin debating Ohio’s biennial budget, Buckeye’s economist, Andrew J. Kidd, Ph.D., looks at the differences between the Office of Budget and Management’s and the Legislative Service Commission’s tax collection estimates, writing, “In general, OBM expects Ohio’s collection of tax dollars to grow faster than LSC, implying that OBM is painting too rosy of a picture, which will hurt Ohioans if spending cuts have to be made or taxes increased later.”
Kathy Uradnik shares why she is fighting to end forced exclusive representation, writing, “Joining a union, just like joining a political party or a religious group, should be an individual’s free choice. Not joining a union, and not being ascribed its views, should be my free choice, but it isn’t. That’s why I’m fighting to change the law.”
In striking the right balance between taxes and necessary infrastructure, policymakers should not make Ohioans pay more in taxes than they already do today. Reprioritize state spending. Reduce taxes elsewhere. Rethink government waste. Those are the alternatives to a straight-up gas tax hike that must be seriously weighed and considered. President Obhof and the Ohio Senate are right to resist taking the easy road and should continue taking the high road in this debate, fighting for Ohio families instead.
As Ohio policymakers begin to debate the state’s biennial budget, Buckeye’s Rea Hederman looks at principles for sound fiscal policy, writing, “Gov. DeWine’s new administration inherits a financially healthier Ohio than his predecessor, but he and the General Assembly must continue building upon the fiscal discipline that has helped the state recover from the Great Recession by putting taxpayer needs first, saving and spending for tomorrow, and always remembering that the money Columbus has jingling in its pockets really belongs to the hardworking people of Ohio.”
The Buckeye Institute's Greg Lawson reacts to proposals to undo important consumer reforms in the electricity market, writing, "When electricity companies compete for business it encourages innovation and lowers prices. It also means that the companies — not customers — pay for projects that don’t pan out. Proposals from American Electric Power to develop solar power plants under a monopoly system undermine the reforms that have lowered energy costs for so many Ohioans."
In the Federal Sentencing Reporter, Daniel Dew looks at Issue 1 and criminal sentencing, writing, “Issue 1 may have died at the polls in November, but the spirit of sentencing and criminal justice reform is alive and well in the Ohio statehouse. Although some reform minded advocates rightly may have worried that Issue 1’s defeat would make criminal justice issues a political and legislative non-starter for years to come, Ohio legislators seem poised to take up criminal justice reform almost immediately in the coming session.”
