Saturday Stats: Billions in ballooning tax breaks
Posted September 07, 2019 in eNews
$9.8 billion: That’s how much potential tax revenue Ohio gives up due to tax breaks lawmakers give out. Wendy Patton and Zach Schiller took a deep dive into Ohio’s biggest and fastest growing tax breaks so you don’t have to. Read their paper for the scoop on how your money is being spent.
121 months: That’s how long the American economy has been in expansion, making it the longest period of growth in history. As Amy Hanauer shows in this year’s State of Working Ohio however, for most Ohioans, benefits are proving elusive.
20: Hannah Halbert released a report on Cleveland’s top 20 wage theft violators between 2004 and 2018. During that time, the U.S. Department of Labor found 6,417 instances of wage theft at 270 Cleveland companies. Mike Shields and Amy talked to WEWS 5 about how in the face of meager state enforcement, cities should step up to protect working people.
850: Ohio policymakers have erected 850 rules or administrative barriers that limit employment opportunities for people with previous convictions. Intern Jack McGowan explains how proposed state legislation – the Fresh Start Act – can create new pathways to work by lifting licensing restrictions for Ohioans with a record.
500,000: Nearly a quarter of Ohio’s children —more than half a million —live in the state’s 10 largest cities, where heat islands are hottest. Kids are especially vulnerable to rising temperatures caused by climate change. Amy appeared on WEWS 5 (twice in one week!) to talk about policies to stem the effects of climate change and protect the health of Ohio’s kids.
1: We have one impressive development director! The YWCA named our Cynthia Connolly one of their 2019 Distinguished Young Woman honorees for her work at Policy Matters and her volunteer work in Cleveland’s Native American community. We are so proud of her.
Coming up:
On Monday, September 9, Amy will be a featured speaker at the International Association of Jewish Free Loans conference in Cleveland. She will discuss policies to protect consumers against exploitative financial products. Get more information here.
On Tuesday, September 10, at 11 a.m., Kalitha Williams and Will Petrik will join the Ohio Women's Public Policy Network for a conversation about child care and the Earned Income Tax Credit on Facebook Live. Tune in and ask your questions.
On Thursday, September 12, Daniel Ortiz will be a featured speaker at the League of Women Voters’ forum: The 2020 Census: what does it mean for Ohio & Greater Cleveland? The event takes place from 7-8:30 p.m. at 25700 Science Park Dr, Beachwood.
We’re teaming up with Common Cause and Free Press to host presentation and conversation about public policy solutions to Ohio’s local news crisis. It will take place Thursday, Sept. 26, 1:30 to 3 p.m. Register here to join the webinar. (We’ve been making the media rounds to talk about our report on Ohio’s newspaper industry, including All Sides with Ann Fisher, The Spectrum with Colleen Marshall and In Focus with Scott Kallmeyer.)