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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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: 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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OH: Schools need to get serious about outsourcing, expert says

By   /  August 28, 2012  /  Education, News, Ohio, Ohio Government, Ohio Governor, State Government, Tax Reform, Taxes  /  No Comments

Andrew Benson of Ohio Education Matters says schools need to get serious about outsourcing and other reforms.

By Jon Cassidy | Ohio Watchdog
COLUMBUS — School districts across Ohio need to start outsourcing some non-instructional services, a leading education expert says.
Facing a cut in revenue from the state, school districts will need to examine how their non-instructional services are provided, Andrew Benson, executive director of Ohio Education Matters, said in an interview with Ohio [...]

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OH: Well production far below Kasich’s estimates

By   /  August 24, 2012  /  Energy, Environmental, Featured, Finances, News, Ohio, Ohio Government, Ohio Governor, Ohio House of Represenatives, Ohio Legistlature, Ohio Senate, Politics & Elections  /  No Comments

Gov. John Kasich

By Jon Cassidy | Ohio Watchdog
COLUMBUS — The actual early production figures from new oil and gas wells in eastern Ohio are much lower than the predictions Gov. John Kasich has been using to his sell his severance tax plan.
The companies operating 10 new wells disclosed the figures earlier this month. The average production rate at [...]

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