The Ohio Ballot Board unanimously approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would bring eliminating Ohio’s property tax one step closer to the voters.
The proposed amendment would eliminate taxes on real property and prohibit future taxes. Real property includes the land, crops growing, and all buildings, structures, and improvements.
“There are people that are losing the ability to stay in their homes that they’ve spent years paying for because the property taxes have just gotten out of reach for the average person,” WTOL-TV quoted Beth Blackmarr, Ohio Citizens for Property Tax Reform’s media relations coordinator, as saying in a statement.
Ultimately, the drive for a constitutional amendment boils down to state lawmakers not addressing the issue.
“It’s a kitchen table issue. And it’s incumbent upon us to address the issue,” Statehouse News Bureau quoted Senate President Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, as saying. “And so, we plan to have some of those conversations here shortly following up on that.”
The perspective seemingly has some bipartisan support.
“It’s frustration of citizens that the legislature won’t take action on common-sense issues,” WSYX-TV quoted Ohio Sen. Bill DeMora, D-Columbus,.
“Ending property taxes would be a disaster for the state of Ohio and local governments,” DeMora added, per the station’s report. “I think it’s a stupid idea, but again I understand the frustration of people because their property taxes are too high, and the legislature hasn’t acted.”
Eliminating the state’s property tax prompts the question of how governments will pay for burgeoning budgets.
“I don’t know how you abolish property taxes completely without raising other taxes,” WBNS-TV quoted Republican Gov. Mike DeWine as saying. “I mean, this is a significant way that we fund our schools.”
Additionally, eliminating the property tax means the government must turn to other sources for funding.
“Even if you cut back on some of the local spending to make it more efficient, which is, in long run, a good thing to do, it would still mean you’re going to have exorbitantly high sales or income taxes,” the Ohio Capital Journal quoted Greg Lawson, a research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, as saying. “Either that or you don’t get the service — it’s really that simple.”
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, who approved the petition, had choice words for lawmakers.
“Ohio’s broken, dysfunctional property tax is forcing people out of their homes with unvoted tax hikes,” Yost, a Republican, said in a post to X. “The people are going to blow it up at the ballot box—and the resulting chaos will be a failure of the legislature, which knew better but would not act.”
Under state law, the attorney general’s office determines whether the submitted language “fairly and truthfully” encapsulates the proposed constitutional amendment. Yost’s office accepted the proposed amendment’s petition title and summary, setting the stage for the Ohio Ballot Board’s decision.
With the approval, petitioners must gather registered voters’ signatures totaling at least 10% of the ballots cast in the last gubernatorial election and from at least 44 of the state’s 88 counties. Additionally, the number from each county must total at least 5% of the ballots cast in the latest gubernatorial election.
Presuming the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office verifies sufficient signatures at least 65 days before the election, the proposed amendment will be added to the ballot during the next regular or general election at least 125 days after filing a petition. Supporters hope to have it on the ballot as soon as November.
“It’s kind of like this idea of eliminating all the speed limits in Ohio,” WTOL-TV quoted Perrysburg schools Superintendent Tom Hosler as saying. “At first, it’s something I could get really excited about and get behind, until the moment I’d get behind the wheel of the car and pull out on a road.”
