COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is urging his successor to leave the state's income tax alone.
Year after year, Ohio has whittled down that state income tax.
"For four straight budgets, I've signed four budgets — every one of the budgets we have reduced the income tax in the state of Ohio," DeWine said.
The governor is saying enough is enough.
"The issue of income tax never comes up when we're talking to businesses," he said, adding that companies care about the workforce and water. "They never bring up, 'Oh, your income tax is too high.'"
In the last budget, the state went down to a 2.75% flat income tax. The state's highest earners, those making more than $100,000 a year, are now taxed at the same rate as people making less. Previously, those making six figures and above paid 3.5%.
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At that time, DeWine tried to tell the lawmakers to stop, and he didn't want to sign that provision into law. Still, he did. When I asked him why, he said it was because they would have passed an override of his veto.
"This is just not an issue anymore," the governor said this week.
While the governor has lamented about this for years, it hasn’t seemed to reach his possible replacement — Republican Vivek Ramaswamy.
Republican Vivek Ramaswamy
From the beginning, Ramaswamy has talked about completely eliminating the income tax.
"I will make Ohio a zero income tax state on my watch," he said during an event in late July.
He laid out a plan to phase out taxes over a 10-year period, starting with eliminating capital gains taxes, the fees on profits when someone sells assets like stocks, in order to encourage investment.
"That's what's going to lift up the workers of our state by bringing high-paying jobs right here to our state," Ramaswamy said.
To make up that money, the candidate has proposed several ideas, including cutting bureaucracy and focusing on economic growth.
Controversially, Ramaswamy suggested shutting down "subpar" universities to fund the cuts. He named Kent State, Cleveland State, Central State and Univ. of Akron as problem institutions.
After facing bipartisan backlash, he has changed his tune. Now, he is suggesting consolidation of some programs within colleges.
RELATED: Vivek Ramaswamy said Ohio should shut down 'subpar' universities. Then came the backlash.
Democrat Dr. Amy Acton
Acton's running mate, David Pepper, pointed to nonpartisan research showing that millionaires and the wealthy benefit most from eliminating the income tax.
"It's time for everyone else to get a break, and not just those at the top," Pepper said.
Their team is focused on tax relief for homeowners, child care and working families. One of those includes a homestead exemption proposal, which would raise the cap on the household income eligibility of Ohio’s seniors to $50,000.
Although he doesn’t like the income tax cuts, he said they won’t reinstate previously eliminated taxes. Instead, they would reallocate money in the budget.
"These types of proposals we're making are targeted exactly to those who are getting caught up in the higher costs," Pepper said.
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Libertarian Don Kissick
Kissick and running mate James Mills favor "reducing" the income tax, but don't have a percentage in mind.
"Ohio should eliminate waste, unnecessary bureaucracy, corporate welfare, and politically favored tax incentives," Mills said Friday. "Lower spending should drive lower taxes across the board."
Their priority is eliminating property taxes, but they would revisit income once that is accomplished, he said.
"Ultimately, what we would want eventually is for Ohio to move toward a more voluntary economy based on consent and individual choice," Mills said. "We trust Ohioans to decide how their own money is spent."
Whether they can deliver on their new market idea is a "different thing," he added. All cuts should be done "responsibly," the Libertarian added.
RELATED: Tax expert critical of Ohio governor candidates' property tax relief proposals
Follow Statehouse and Columbus bureau reporter Morgan Trau on X, Instagram and Facebook. Email her at Morgan.Trau@wews.com.
