Ohio House Minority Caucus Calls for Targeted Property Tax Relief for Ohioans Feeling the Squeeze

COLUMBUS - Today, on behalf of the Ohio House Minority Caucus, Leader Dani Isaacsohn (D-Cincinnati) issued the following statement in response to the campaign to eliminate property taxes in Ohio, acknowledging that the frustration behind the effort is real and the result of policy choices made by the Republican supermajority that controls state government.

"Ohioans are right to be frustrated. Property taxes are going up, housing is unaffordable, and families are being squeezed because the state has failed to fairly fund the things people rely on every day: public schools, police, fire, first responders, and basic local services," said Leader Isaacsohn. "For years, the Republican supermajority trifecta in Columbus has slashed local government funds, underfunded communities, and pushed costs downward onto homeowners, renters, seniors, and working families to pay for tax cuts to the wealthiest Ohioans."

Trickle-down economics has become trickle-down pressure on the pocketbooks of the most vulnerable Ohioans. Over the past 15 years, the portion of state revenue going toward property tax relief has been cut by one-third, pushing more pressure onto homeowners, seniors, renters, and working families.

Ohio House Democrats have introduced real solutions that target relief to the Ohioans who need it most, including:

• HB 365 (Brennan, Hall, D.), the Property Tax Refund Act, which would provide relief when property taxes or rent exceed 5% of a household's income;
• HB 103 (Troy, Hall, T.), which would expand the homestead exemption to help seniors and Ohioans on fixed incomes stay in their homes; and
• HB 598 (Sigrist, Hoops), which would allow local governments to create residential stability zones to help protect communities from displacement and rising housing costs.
  

"The pain behind this ballot initiative is not unfounded and it is real. We agree that Ohio has become too unaffordable because of decades of decisions made by the supermajority," added Leader Isaacsohn. "But Ohioans do not need more chaos. They need targeted relief that actually reaches the people being crushed by rising costs."

There are solutions sitting in the legislature right now, but Republicans have failed to pass them, despite bipartisan support. Ohio House Democrats believe property tax relief should be responsible, targeted, and focused on everyday Ohioans, not another giveaway that helps wealthy Ohioans while local communities are left to figure out how to fund schools, safety, and essential services.

"Ohioans deserve a state government that lowers costs without abandoning communities," concluded Leader Isaacsohn. "House Democrats are fighting to build an Ohio we can afford, where relief is targeted to need, local services are protected, and the state finally stops pushing its failures onto the people of Ohio."