Policy Matters Ohio
09/27/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 09/27/2024 10:38
Saturday Stats
Saturday Stats
Posted September 27, 2024 in eNews
$12.8B: Annual loss in state revenue as a result of changes to Ohio's tax code since 2005. That's almost $13,000,000,000 every year that could help pay for schools, roads, eldercare and childcare, health care, addiction treatment, even people to answer phones at the unemployment office. Instead, it's primarily gone to the wealthiest households in the form of tax cuts. In "The Great Ohio Tax Shift, 2024," researcher Bailey Williams uses data from our friends at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) to determine how those cuts have been distributed:
$52K: Average annual amount by which legislators have reduced state taxes for Ohio's highest-income 1% since 2005. That's enough to purchase a new BMW 4-Series every year.
$6,976: Average annual amount by which legislators have reduced state taxes for Ohio's highest-income 20% since 2005. That's enough to purchase two box seat tickets for this year's Ohio State - Michigan football game in Columbus.
$352: Average annual amount by which legislators have reduced state taxes for Ohio's middle-income quintile (those making $47K- $76K) since 2005. That's enough for one roundtrip economy-class ticket to Newark, NJ on United Airlines this Thanksgiving.
$80: Average annual amount by which legislators have raised state taxes on Ohioans with income under $24K.
$11.1B: Amount of revenue brought in by Ohio's personal income tax in Fiscal Year 2023. Some legislators have proposed eliminating that tax, which would require cutting spending by almost 25%. Alongside Policy Matters founding executive director Amy Hanauer, Bailey spoke at the City Club of Cleveland last week about the risks posed to all Ohioans by income tax extremists. You can watch the conversation here, or listen to the recording here.
4.4%: Share of Ohio's population identified as Hispanic by the U.S. Census Bureau. Every Latino Ohioan deserves the resources and tools they need to thrive. That is where the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission comes in. As part of our "Doing the Work" series of partner spotlights, researcher Tanisha Pruitt, PhD., profiles the commission and its public policy officer, Annabel Meleán. To learn more about the commission, check out Tanisha's blog post, follow them on Facebook and X, and subscribe to their newsletter.
56.3%: Share of Black women surveyed by our friends at the Ohio Organizing Collaborative who said they experienced stress due to medical debt. The high cost of medical care led many respondents to delay or altogether skip important medical care. That is just one of the troubling findings in our new report based on the survey, from researcher Kathryn Poe and intern Elena Latshaw.
119,000: Approximate number of Northeast Ohioans served by the First CALL (Crisis Assistance and Local Linkage) Program in Shaker Heights and neighboring Cleveland suburbs. The program is an alternative crisis response team that includes behavioral health clinicians and peer support staff who engage with individuals experiencing mental health distress and substance use disorders. It's one model of alternative response that was discussed on a recent webinar facilitated by senior researcher Piet van Lier. (Cleveland launched its own pilot program for non-police care response just this month.) You can watch a recording of the webinar, and register for an upcoming discussion of community response in Albuquerque and Durham.
Action items:
Listen to the latest episode of What's Good Ohio!?, "What's good with the Ohio Supreme Court?" PMO digital media specialist Sarah Rodenberg and substitute co-host Ben Stein talked with Danielle Firsich from Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio about recent and future decisions by the court, and how voters can learn more about the candidates for supreme court seats.
Register for an upcoming discussion of community response in Albuquerque and Durham.