Ohio House to vote on budget changes

May 5, 2011, Fremont News-Messenger

By Jessica Alaimo

Special to the News-Messenger

The revised version of Gov. John Kasich’s budget contains both good and bad news for local governments.

The good: A House committee eased proposed cuts to tangible personal property tax reimbursements, increased aid to schools, and provided funds to help local entities share services.

The bad: The new legislation repeals the estate tax, cutting off one revenue stream for local governments. It also reverses a proposal by Kasich that would have lessened local entities’ pension obligations.

Kasich and Republican legislators, who have the majority in both houses, must mend an $8 billion budget gap in the next state biennium. To keep repeated promises to voters, they must do so without raising taxes.

State tax revenues exceed estimates

Apr. 13, 2011, Marion Star

By Jessica Alaimo

CentralOhio.com

Ohio’s General Revenue Fund is slowly getting healthier.

Tax revenues collected in March exceeded expectations by $157 million, according to the state’s monthly financial report released Tuesday.

Among the highlights:

» Income tax collections exceeded expectations by $80 million.

» Sales tax collections exceeded expectations by $69 million.

» Corporate franchise taxes exceeded expectations by $21 million.

GOP looks to end Ohio estate tax

Jan. 12, 2011, Newark Advocate

BY JESSICA ALAIMO AND RUSS ZIMMER

CentralOhio.com

COLUMBUS — A bill was introduced Tuesday at the Statehouse to eliminate Ohio’s estate tax, also known ominously as “the death tax” by its detractors.

The state’s estate tax is the strictest in the nation, said state Rep. Jay Hottinger, R-Newark, one of the bill’s sponsors.

Although the federal government doesn’t tax estates worth less than $5 million, Ohio starts taxing estates at $338,000. This includes everything: cash assets, property, land and machinery.

Hottinger and state Rep. Cheryl Grossman, R-Grove City, rolled out a plan Tuesday to repeal the tax at a Statehouse news conference. Gov. John Kasich also supports the measure.

Cigarette tax a tough sell at Statehouse

Apr. 6, 2010, Port Clinton News Herald

BY RUSS ZIMMER

AND JESSICA ALAIMO

Special to the News Herald

Health advocates are pushing tobacco taxes as both a way to dissuade smoking and a means to bridge the state budget shortfall, but campaign concerns may stall any tax increases.

A growing number of states have been leaning on smokers to help plug budget holes, but no such plan is in the works for Ohio. For now, anyway.

Cash-strapped states are considering or enacting cigarette tax increases at a pace that has only been equaled in 10 other years since 1950.