A Shelby County blog's comments re. House Bill 400 and its sponsor, Rep. John Adams

From John Curry, January 24, 2010

http://sidneyindependent.blog.com/2010/01/20/fact-check-adams-press-release/

20. Jan, 2010

The Sidney Daily News printed John Adams press release on the front page of the newspaper giving the appearance that it was actual news and not an act of self promotion that all politicians commit.

In the press release is states that Adams wants to abolish income taxes in Ohio. He cites a source that lists Ohio as having one of the highest income taxes in the country. There is a reason for that. Ohio has dropped it’s corporate taxes to almost nothing. Lawmakers are bending over backwards trying to bring bring jobs into the state. Ohio has been rated one of the top 5 business friendly states.

Adams also brings up the fact that there are ten states with lower income taxes than Ohio. Several of these states have a zero income tax rate. These states have industries supporting them (Alaska), receive large amount of federal dollars to run their state (Arkansas, Alaska) or have higher corporate and business taxes. Ohio has none of these things.

There is no way to cut income taxes in the near future without raising corporate and business taxes which will derail any sort of economic recovery this state is trying to obtain. We need jobs. period. The money has to come from somewhere, and we can’t scare businesses away by threatening to raise their taxes.

Saying you want to stop taxing people is a great way to get people to vote for you, but is entirely unrealistic.

Ohio ranked #4 for best business climate by Site Selection magazine, also received 3 consecutive Governors Cup awards from the magazine.

The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council ranked the state #10 for best business-friendly tax systems in their Business Tax Index 2009, including a top corporate tax and capital gains rate that were both ranked #6 at 1.9%.

The Directorship’s Boardroom Guide ranked the state #13 overall for best business climate, including #7 for best ligitation climate.