Abolishing Property Tax Because the Legislature Distorted the System Is a Step Too Far
People on both sides of the debate over property tax repeal agree on one thing: Counties, cities, towns and villages, schools and libraries should not have to depend so heavily on property taxes. But only one side is talking about the root cause of the problem: decades of state-level tax policy designed to benefit the wealthiest households and biggest corporations.
Since 2005, the state legislature has prioritized cutting the personal income tax above all other policy initiatives. These tax cuts have left the state with an annual revenue shortfall of almost $13 billion. This loss of revenue has gutted the state budget, leaving too little funding for public services Ohioans rely on, including public education, for which adequate funding is constitutionally required.
With a state legislature bent on pleasing their biggest donors with year after year of tax cuts, local governments — those closest to the issues that matter to most Ohioans — are left to fend for themselves, with property taxes as one of their only tools.
Until state legislators stand up for regular Ohioans by facing down the wealthy and powerful, the rest of us will be forced to choose between increasing property taxes and harming our communities. There are three actions the state can take to enact a tax system that balances the interests of all taxpayers while adequately funding our public services.