Kasich plan just shifts Ohio tax burden around, economists say

By   /  February 14, 2013  /  Energy, Featured, News, Ohio, Ohio Government, Ohio Governor, Ohio House of Represenatives, Ohio Legistlature, Ohio Senate, Politics, State Government  /  3 Comments

THE PLAN: Kasich is proposing to extend the sales tax to 81 service industries, while cutting the rate from 5.5 percent to 5 percent. He also wants to impose a severance tax on oil and gas production, and use it to pay for an income tax cut.

 
By Jon Cassidy | Watchdog.org
Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s plan to impose new taxes on services and oil and gas production would weigh heavily on the poor, while opening the door to more cronyism, according to several free market economists interviewed by Ohio Watchdog.
Despite shifting tax burdens around, Kasich’s budget does nothing to reduce the size [...]

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Aurora taxpayers may foot bill for turning golf course into wasteland

By   /  February 7, 2013  /  Environment, Local News, Ohio, Ohio Government, Politics, Private property rights, Regulatory Reform, Wasteful spending  /  4 Comments

The city of Aurora will use the golf course's maintenance barn as the new center of operations for its Parks and Recreation Department. Courtesy of George Heisler

By Jon Cassidy | Watchdog.org
AURORA, Ohio — The city of Aurora is moving ahead with plans to buy and close Aurora Golf Course, despite an appeal that could put the city’s taxpayers on the hook for an inflated purchase price.
According to Portage County real estate transaction records, 194 acres of the golf course were deeded to [...]

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OH: Ohio has most bloated government in U.S., study finds

By   /  November 30, 2012  /  Economy, Local Government, Ohio, Ohio Government, Ohio Governor, Politics, Private property rights, State Budgets, State Government, Taxes  /  1 Comment

Look way down at the bottom. That's where you'll find Ohio's ranking for economic freedom, in this chart produced by the Fraser Institute.

By Jon Cassidy | Ohio Watchdog
Ohio has the most oversized state and local governments in the country, according to a study published this week.
The Fraser Institute report, “Economic Freedom of North America 2012,”  also shows a direct relationship between oversized government and poor economic performance.
The Fraser Institute ranks American states and Canadian provinces on their economic freedom, [...]

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OH: Lawmakers accuse poll observers of unspecified crimes

By   /  October 18, 2012  /  2012 General Election, Elections, Featured, Fraud, News, Ohio, Ohio Government, Ohio Senate, Politics & Elections, Voter Fraud, Voter Registration  /  3 Comments

State Senate Minority Leader Eric H. Kearney is one of the authors of a letter accusing a group of poll watchers of intimidating voters.

By Jon Cassidy and Kenric Ward | Watchdog.org
A watchdog group that scrutinizes voter rolls and sends observers to polling stations is under attack from a group of elected Democratic officials making unsupported accusations of criminal activity.
All 10 Democratic members of the state Ohio Senate sent a letter Wednesday to Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted accusing [...]

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OH: Few severance taxes are lucrative

By   /  August 31, 2012  /  Business, Economy, Energy, Environment, Ohio, Ohio Government, Ohio Governor, Ohio House of Represenatives, Ohio Legistlature, Ohio Senate  /  4 Comments

Gov. John Kasich wants to use a severance tax to fund an income tax cut.

By Jon Cassidy | Ohio Watchdog
COLUMBUS — Gov. John Kasich says that a severance tax on oil and gas production could raise up to $1 billion by 2016, and that the money could be used to fund an across-the-board income tax cut.
A review of severance tax revenues in all 50 states suggests they’re not quite so lucrative. [...]

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