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Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2009 > March > 25 > Entry
Poll shows support for higher taxes
If given a choice between cutting services for the sick, hungry and abused or raising taxes on businesses and wealthy families, Ohioans are all for boosting taxes, according to a new survey released Wednesday March 25.
Fifty-seven percent of Ohio voters favor rolling back some recent income tax breaks and increasing some business taxes and taxes on people making more than $200,000 as a way to avoid service cuts, according to Hart Research Associates’ telephone poll of 602 registered Ohio voters.
The poll was commissioned by a coalition of human services groups that are lobbying lawmakers to keep money in the state budget to help food pantries, public schools, child welfare agencies and mental health services.
For example, the state budget currently calls for sending $62 million less in federal money to county governments for child protective services, such as investigating allegations of abuse and neglect. There are 106,000 such cases statewide each year. Without the $62 million, counties will be forced to lay off case workers, leaving more work for the remaining employees.
“They’ll be pedaling as fast as they can,” said Gayle Channing Tenenbaum of the Public Children Services Association of Ohio.
Lisa Hamler-Fugitt of the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks said the proposed budget allocates $8.5 million year for food pantries and soup kitchens across the state — well below the $17 million requested. The $8.5 million is what the organizations get now but demand has increased 25 percent and food prices have grown 26 percent, she said. In the last quarter of 2008, the food pantries and soup kitchens served 1.8 million people.
The poll found that 62 percent of Ohioans are worried about jobs and the economy while only 14 percent name state and local taxes as among their top concerns. The state adopted a 21-percent across the board income tax reduction that is being phased in over five years. Republicans herald it as a crucial step toward making Ohio business friendly. But only 8 percent of the poll respondents knew that state income tax rates had been lowered.
“No one noticed it,” said Channing Tenenbaum.
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Comments
By jd
March 29, 2009 10:14 AM | Link to this
As a former resident of Washington state, I am somewhat confused by the taxes in Ohio. Washington does not have a state income tax. It collects revenue via user fees, excise tax, sales tax and property tax. And, somehow is capable of having a great mass transit system and many social programs. Ohio is lacking in both. And, the state of Ohio has no excuse. Since Ohio collects sales tax, state and local income tax, user fees, and property taxes. Seems that we are getting screwed. Suggest Ohio drop their state income tax and opt for a fair system that works.By Patrick
March 27, 2009 8:12 AM | Link to this
These guys didn’t call me!By Alice
March 26, 2009 3:28 PM | Link to this
Thank goodness.By Philman
March 26, 2009 11:52 AM | Link to this
What most people don’t think about ,is businesses do not pay taxes people do. if you raise a mans taxes on his profit he will raise the cost of his product.so we the people will pay the increase. the problem is Govt’s. cannot run nor should not run businesses or programs for the people they waste to much of the money on bureaucracy and hardly any is left for the poor souls it was intended for,look at social insecurity, medicare, medicaid, they need to cut taxes and the people in the churches should give to organizations that can put the money where it needs to go without wasting it.By Ethel S
March 26, 2009 11:25 AM | Link to this
Everyone should support programs to support vulnerable children and their families. However, there is so much wasteful spending and this administration has not set children and their families as priority for spending. Guess bridges, roads, museums all come first.By TRS
March 25, 2009 7:49 PM | Link to this
Considering who commissioned this, it would be interesting to see how the questions where phrased. Bet if they asked “do you favor taxes being raised on business if the cost is passed along to you?” the response would be different.