Loading
Skip to main content

Putting Money Back into the Pockets of Hard Working Ohioans

A Guest Column by State Senator Kristina Roegner
July 26, 2019
Kristina D. Roegner News
 
Winston Churchill once said that a nation attempting to tax itself into prosperity “is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.” As your State Senator, one of my primary responsibilities is to manage state tax dollars efficiently, finding ways to return hard-earned dollars to Ohioans wherever possible. More dollars in the pockets of Ohioans leads to a better quality of life in our communities and growth for Ohio businesses.

With the recent passage of Ohio’s biannual state operating budget, I wanted to share with you a few of the ways the Ohio Senate worked to return tax dollars to Ohioans, as well as a few things you can look forward to in the next few months to help save your family money.

The state operating budget reduces taxes on Ohioans by removing the bottom two tax brackets and cutting taxes for all brackets by 4% over the next two years. Our goal in reducing Ohio income taxes was to allow Ohioans more opportunity to build their futures. Additionally, we understand that small businesses create the jobs that drive our economy so we also continued to provide tax relief for small businesses. Taken together, the tax relief package passed by the Ohio General Assembly proposes an over $680 million tax cut for Ohioans.

These tax cuts continue a long-standing commitment on the part of our General Assembly to reducing Ohioans’ tax burden in a variety of ways. For instance, I voted last year to support a permanent sales tax holiday on the first Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of August each year. During the Ohio Sales Tax Holiday, parents, teachers and students can take advantage of additional savings on school supplies and back to school items.

We also worked in 2017 to eliminate the sales tax on prescription eyeglasses and contact lenses, which can be a significant expense for Ohio families. Beginning July 1 of this year, prescription eyeglasses and contact lenses will no longer be subject to the state sales tax. This tax reduction will save Ohioans an estimated $30 million annually, and help Ohio small businesses and contact lenses become more competitive with neighboring states and online retailers.

I am proud to serve the 27th Senate District in the Ohio Senate and look forward to seeing these tax cuts help Ohio families. I can also assure you that I am committed to finding additional ways to put more of your hard-earned dollars back into your pockets.

If you have any questions, ideas or ways we can work together please contact me by phone at (614) 466-4823 or by e-mail at Roegner@OhioSenate.gov.