Shifty business: News from Policy Matters
Posted February 14, 2017 in eNews
Stop the shift: The first thing we noticed about the governor's budget is that it calls for big cuts to the income tax while increasing the sales tax. With some tiny exceptions, the budget underinvests in almost every important public need. With help from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, we point out that the governor’s plan will have the richest paying a lot less while many of the rest of us pay more. Research Director Zach Schiller explains it all in a blog, an op-ed for the Cincinnati Enquirer and on The State of Ohio TV show.
All state budget cuts are local: Governor Kasich’s budget signals more hardship for local governments that have already lost millions from the state since 2010. That’s devastating news for Lorain Mayor Chase Ritenauer and City Councilmember Angel Arroyo Jr., who met with Policy Matters Outreach Coordinator Daniel Ortiz. Since Kasich took office, Lorain has lost $3 million a year. Mayor Ritenauer says that means fewer police officers, older equipment and more local tax increases.
Truth about transit: Senior Project Director Wendy Patton testified before the House Finance Subcommittee on Transportation last week. She said the governor’s budget packs a one-two punch to Ohio transit agencies. First, Kasich’s plan severely underfunds transit. Second, he fails to find a long-term solution to the loss of millions in sales tax revenue.
Eye on D.C.: In the Akron Beacon Journal, our director Amy Hanauer took a closer look at Andrew Puzder, a northeast Ohio native who President Trump nominated to run the U.S. Department of Labor. Hanauer reviews Puzder’s labor law violations, his sexist advertising, and his scornful statements about workers. Click here to tell Senators Portman and Brown to vote against this anti-labor secretary.