Middle-class tax relief and anticorruption proposals among House Democratic priorities

For immediate release: Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2005 CONTACT: John Kohlstrand (614) 466-9036 Middle-class tax relief and anticorruption proposals rank among House Democratic priorities COLUMBUS, Ohio – Targeted middle-class tax relief, an end to the GOP’s secretive tax on food and new anticorruption reforms were among the fall priorities outlined by House Democrats during a news conference today. “The spin doctors at Republican headquarters often accuse Democrats of not having ideas,” House Democratic Leader Chris Redfern said. “They must have cotton in their ears.” Redfern said proposals to put an end to the Statehouse culture of corruption – including a plan to close loopholes in Ohio’s pay-to-play law – will continue to be a major theme among House Democrats this fall. But he and other legislators also highlighted a battery of ideas for restoring fiscal discipline in Columbus and “moving families forward” – including help with coping with the huge gasoline and natural gas prices expected this fall and winter. A forthcoming proposal from House Democrats would deliver more middle-class tax relief sooner in order to help families cope with $3-per-gallon gasoline prices and natural gas prices expected to rise by 71 percent this winter. The plan, still being drawn up, would be revenue neutral. “Rising energy costs are an enormous additional burden for families trying to make the next mortgage payment or send a child to college,” House Democratic Whip Steve Driehaus said. “Middle-class families need immediate relief.” House Democrats said they will push to use surplus money from the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program to the Home Energy Assistance Program. Democrats also would like to go further by devoting the tax windfall expected from higher energy prices into the HEAP program in order to serve even more struggling Ohioans. Other major proposals discussed by House Democrats today included: -Putting an end to the CAT tax on food. Democrats see the new tax as an end run around the constitution, which has prohibited taxes on food since 1936. Legislation is also planned to allow retailers to disclose the amount of CAT tax they are passing on to consumers. Legislation passed last summer now prohibits that. -Getting tough with corporations that push their responsibility to provide employees with an adequate health care plan onto the taxpayers. One proposal would require Ohioans to identify their employer when applying for Medicaid and other public health programs. Another forthcoming proposal would go further by requiring corporations that are notorious for shifting health care costs to taxpayers to pick up part of the tab. “Taxpayers shouldn’t have to shoulder the burden when corporations don’t live up to their responsibilities,” Redfern said. Redfern said he expects Democratic proposals will receive serious consideration by the House Republican majority, now in its 12th year. “We continue to offer solutions for putting an end to culture in corruption in Columbus and restoring public confidence. We have to. The public expects nothing less,” Redfern said. “But there is a lot more to our work here in Columbus – when it comes to moving families forward, when it comes to instilling fiscal discipline at the Statehouse.” Redfern noted that, of 122 Democratic bills, just two have received a floor vote in the House. Few, if any, of the others have received substantive hearings. “That must change,” Redfern said.