Ohio House cuts funding to cities and eliminated Estate Tax in same budget bill

[liberal N proud]

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio House members debated a $55.6 billion budget plan Thursday that would cut state tax dollars to schools and local services but not as deeply as Gov. John Kasich has proposed.

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The House put its mark on the first-term Republican governor's plan by eliminating the state's estate tax beginning in 2013, allowing the lease or sale of a sixth state prison, and dramatically expanding opportunities for charter and online education.

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Similarly, the $80 million going back to school districts does not offset hundreds of millions in planned cuts to education brought on largely by the expiration of federal stimulus grants. However, the House added a guarantee that no district will see a cut of more than 20 percent in their state aid.

State aid to local governments was cut from $1.3 billion to $865 million. Representatives hope to soften the blow by creating a $50 million fund using commercial activity tax money to encourage shared service between townships and other municipalities.

The House plan would take back some control of Kasich's privatization efforts. The proposal requires the Legislature to sign off on how income from the sale of state assets -- including prisons and possibly the Ohio Turnpike -- is spent.

http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/political/ohios-budget-bill-closer-to-passage-amid-protests-by-critics

Taking from the poor and giving it to the rich in action.