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Posted on 05/17/2025 2:15:41 AM PDT by EBH
A radical proposal to eliminate all property taxes in Ohio is gaining momentum, and it’s revealing something profound about the state’s political climate: Ohioans are furious with their government.
In a recent episode of Today in Ohio, the daily news podcast from cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer, the hosts dissected this controversial ballot initiative and the public reaction it’s generating.
“Citizens for Property Tax Reform can now start collecting 413,000 signatures for a ballot issue that would eliminate property taxes in the state of Ohio,” said Lisa Garvin. The Ohio Ballot Board unanimously agreed it was a single-subject issue, clearing the way for signature collection.
“This a terrible idea,’ said Chris Quinn, “but it is the symptom of where we stand in Ohio that there’s a revolt going on. It’s what I say. Pitchforks and torches.”
The measure would eliminate approximately $20 billion in annual revenue that primarily funds schools and local governments. Critics, including podcast host Leila Atassi, warn this would be devastating. Atassi’s column titled “Don’t Sign That Petition” generated significant reader response, staying atop cleveland.com’s charts for days.
“It was a real mixed bag of response because, you know, I did get a lot of that anger, which I completely expected and completely sympathize with about how overly burdened we are with taxes,” Atassi explained. “But then on the other hand, there were some people who had some thoughtful responses about what the state should be doing to fix this problem.”
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
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This is what inflation and a housing bubble do to residents and frankly it does need to stop.
Atassi calling us "pitchfork" voters is quite the insult and is someone who doesn't grasp that all this stuff is a tax on unrealized gains. I can't access the value of my home for $$$ without taking a loan out...neither should the government access that money.
I don’t know about OH specifically but, generally, it seems voters are tired of their taxes rising and the services dropping or being eliminated so that local pols can push the latest cause du jour. Green initiatives, give-aways to illegals, homo crosswalks etc.
All I want from local gov. is police and fire, water and sewer, haul my trash and teach my kids without woke bs. Oh yeah...maintain the roads and maybe a park or 2.
The rest is pretty unnecessary.
excellent point
The biggest problem with reducing government to just essential functions is that there is a noisy group of constituents who want all the other stuff. Think how often someone asks their councilman to take a position on nuclear weapons policy or their senator to fix the pot hole near their house. Then how often they tell them this is not my remit vs. actually trying to satisfy them. It will take a lot of work to get both constituents and politicians who first ask is this something best done by government, and if yes, am I asking the correct level of government.
I also live in a blue state, the biggest chunk of property taxes are school taxes and is an abomination. They start with an early proposal with a grand circular in the mail which in itself cost money. The 1st vote is struck down, a revote with no or little change is proposed again and this is struck down, another vote is scheduled on an in convenient date so as to lessen the amount of votes needed to pass and it passes with flying colors. The schools today have been infiltrator with the administrative circus of transgender, gay and lesbian clown show, a nazi school board and the guidelines of the radical left obama plan is strangling what we once knew as sane. The student population is propagandized and out of control with no deterrent to help those teachers who are not mentally ill and are trying to stay within the parameters and hold thier jobs. The rest of the taxes are used to pay exorbitant pensions and lifetime healthcare for those employed. The pendulum swings to the furthest point and people have had enough
You are right.
The give me’s will be out in force crying about their pet benefit being eliminated.
This initiative would go a long way to wringing out some of that waste, I hope.
We shouldn't have any of that here. We have a fairly high gas tax to fix roads. We have a fairly high state income tax. We have high state fees (e.g. registration). Our local dollars go mostly to ineffective schools. Students struggle but administrators get paid regardless. I listen to tutoring sessions and kids aren't learning to learn and solve problems. Tutors aren't paid a lot but they are paid. Ends up being lots of money for not great results.
Half of the tax goes to the failed public schools. The people who vote for these tax levies do not own property and send their children to the failed schools. They could care less how much we pay. No one I know that lives in the public school district sends they kids there. It is for losers.
A modest 4 bedroom home in a respectable suburb here you pay $1000 per month for property taxes.
And it would be an unearned windfall to the non-working class. Did the number of streets they need to maintain increase 60% during that time? 6%? Funding local government as a percentage of volatile property values isan idea with a big fault.
If you don’t pay it, then the government will place a lien on your home and eventually collect the money by foreclosing on your home. So either you take out the home equity loan or the government puts a lien on the home.
Recently in my small town, the government needed to generate funds for our local water plant. Which is all understandable as we’ve not seen an increase in water rates for decades. Instead of submitting a tax reform or something for the people to vote on. They simply add a fee. Local governments around here are quickly figuring out that if they come to the voters to add tax, they’ll say no, but they can still get what they want by calling it a fee and then they don’t need voter approval just council approval.
Our local taxes to the city pay for part of the school, but there’s also the property tax which again helps fund the schools. So they’re getting funding from two sources.
Take a look at your state and local budgets.
Most of that money really isn’t going to the local causes du jour...
It’s not going to students, infrastructure, patients, the elderly, safety...
It’s going to our so-called public servants and their Deep State masters.
Their salaries, pensions, healthcare bennies, padded expense accounts...
We’re just cash cows to the Deep State.
“Half of the tax goes to the failed public schools.”
Was just going to rant that, there was a time when your tax money went to your largely local area but not so much anymore. And the battle with charter schools too, states hate them and state officials work behind the scenes to fight them. Plus the dumping of countless numbers of illegals has really jumped up the costs of schooling yet many school districts love them, why? Because they get more money for their unions from custodians to bus drivers to teachers and especially admin.
I’m not in the most expensive area of my neck of the woods in GA but my increases have been crazy too.
I think that eliminating property taxes is plausible, with some caveats. Increase the states sales tax. Eliminate the bloat at the state and local government level. Get rid of illegals! Just getting rid of the illegals will save our country so much money.
Maybe a small increase in sales tax and the families with children in school pay taxes while the kids attend school. The fact that there is huge waste in government needs to be addressed. I’d bet if the onion were peeled back we’d demand justice for the theft of our tax dollars.
Have you noticed that these county governments are just rubber stamping huge multi family dwellings? Even my school district spoke about that in the annual budget meeting. There’s got to be an angle in that aspect of the property tax argument.
Obama had a plan that every zip code would have to have racial representation of the country.
This is what is happening nationwide
Welcome to the ghetto in every community.
Hope to get a crowd. People are talking about eliminating property taxes. But the school taxes will still cost 300 to 500 per month for many homes as is!
School taxes are separated and believe me they are not being included in the discussion to eliminate property tax.
“… you pay $1000 per month for property taxes...”
Thats called “rent”.
To local, county, and state government.
So the government can buy voters and self-perpetuate.
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