FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: 
Alison Goebel, PhD
Executive Director
agoebel@greaterohio.org | 614-224-0187
 

New Analysis counters short-sighted lawsuit and legislation that would seriously threaten Ohio’s major cities if passed.

Columbus, OH (September 10, 2020) – The Greater Ohio Policy Center (GOPC) has released a Rebuttal to SB352, HB754, and a recently filed lawsuit, measures which seek to undo long-standing tax structures in the midst of a pandemic and redirect work-from-home employees to pay their income taxes where they live, not where their workplace is located.  

For over six decades, working Ohioans have paid income taxes to the jurisdiction where they work. In the Rebuttal, GOPC shows how attempts to change the tax collection structure today are short-sighted and mortally jeopardize Ohio’s economic competitiveness.  Ohio’s major cities drive the state’s economy; Ohio’s six largest counties account for more than half of the state’s GDP. Cities leverage their income tax revenue to pay for long-term strategic infrastructure and capital investments, such as roadways, bridges, and water quality measures.  These investments have retained and attracted employers, while also benefiting the metro regions surrounding Ohio’s largest cities.

Passage of SB352 or HB754, or a successful lawsuit, could cost Ohio’s 6 largest cities $306 million annually.  Other cities that rely heavily on income tax revenue will experience similarly negative impacts.

Utilizing a new national dataset that details the revenues and expenses of Ohio’s six largest cities from 1977 to 2017, GOPC shows how Ohio cities rely heavily on income tax revenue to meet the needs of existing residents and businesses and that this reliance on income tax has increased during the forty-year period analyzed.

GOPC’s data analysis argues that Ohio’s income tax structure should not be changed.  Not only would this change seriously threaten city budgets, but it would create an administrative nightmare for all businesses required to comply. Using a temporary pandemic to justify changes to a long-term tax structure would unfairly penalize cities who have long supported Ohio’s economic competitiveness and made investment decisions based on the expectation of this structure’s existence.
 
To access the Rebuttal, please click here.

About the Greater Ohio Policy Center
Greater Ohio Policy Center (GOPC) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization with a mission to improve Ohio’s communities through smart growth strategies and research. Our vision is a revitalized Ohio. We undertake original research and analysis, develop pragmatic policy recommendations and advocacy strategies, and deploy our convening power to meet the needs of Ohio’s local change-makers. We operate statewide.

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