Kasich to face GOP friction on ‘frack’ tax
Governor wants to increase levies on oil, gas drilling
By Jim Siegel and Joe Vardon
A key element of Gov. John Kasich’s new batch of policy proposals — an Ohio income-tax cut paid for with new taxes on shale drilling — could face stiff resistance from Kasich’s own party.
“I’m not sure the (Republican) caucus in the House is receptive to the recommendations on oil and gas that the governor has made,” said Rep. Peter Beck, a Mason Republican and chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, which will consider the governor’s tax proposals.http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/03/15/kasich-to-face-gop-friction-on-tax.html
Gov. John Kasich rolls out mini-budget with tax, education initiatives taking center stage
Published: Wednesday, March 14, 2012, 7:20 PM Updated: Thursday, March 15, 2012, 5:17 AM
COLUMBUS, Ohio - As Gov. John Kasich rolled out a mid-term budget blueprint highlighted by an income tax cut for Ohioans but a hike in oil and gas taxes, the sales job began to skeptical lawmakers.
Kasich's pitch to majority-party Republicans: Make sure Ohioans benefit from the oil and gas dollars expected to flow from the shale boom, not those in faraway area codes.
"What we're saying is every Ohioan ought to benefit from this wealth," he told reporters at an afternoon news conference to announce his initiatives. "Because if Ohioans don't benefit, some shareholder in Texas is going to benefit -- that's what's going to happen."
http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2012/03/kasichs_rolls_out_mini-budget.html
Ohio midterm budget laced with Kasich bravado, promises of tax cuts
Columbus Government Examiner
Ohio Gov. John Kasich again put on display Wednesday afternoon the bravado of certainty that's become his personal trademark. In a briefing on the first-ever midterm budget plan any Ohio governor has made, the former Wall Street banker and nine-term Congressman lead a team of his Cabinet members and staff in explaining the various proposals ranging from education to energy included in his blueprint for the legislature.
Legislators show caution, express worries
Ohio's go-go CEO governor, who early in his campaign to win the office in 2010 said one of his goals would be to eliminate the state's income tax, which dates back to the 1930s. Kasich showed that goal remains in play, as he announced that he wants the legislature, controlled by Republicans who have been very friendly to him so far, to fuel a reduction in incomes taxes with new revenue in the form of higher oil and gas taxes.
http://www.examiner.com/government-in-columbus/ohio-mid-term-budget-laced-with-kasich-bravado-promises-of-tax-cuts
http://www.examiner.com/government-in-columbus/ohio-mid-term-budget-laced-with-kasich-bravado-promises-of-tax-cuts
House Cancels, Adds Sessions in Response to Budget Bills
Hannah Report 3/14/12
Hannah Report 3/14/12
House Speaker William Batchelder (R-Medina) announced during Wednesday's floor session that he was cancelling House sessions for Tuesday, March 20, and Wednesday, March 21, so committees can work on Gov. John Kasich's mid-biennium review -- the MBR.
The chamber is expected to begin its work on the bill starting next Tuesday. It was announced during session that the bill was not quite ready, delaying hearings until next week.
In addition, Batchelder said that a Thursday, March 22 session has been added, where the capital budget (HB482) will likely be on the floor.
Minority leaders in the House and Senate on Wednesday made another plea for bipartisan cooperation in the legislature and called for consideration of a number of employment-related bills that have gained little traction with the GOP majority.
The Democratic lawmakers did not, however, shy away from political jabs against Republicans and the bills they have "rammed through" during the last year.
"Democrats in the House and Senate have put forth a number of jobs bills; they've gone absolutely nowhere," House Minority Leader Armond Budish (D-Beachwood) said at a Statehouse press conference. "Rather than focusing on job creation, Republicans have made their top priority dividing Ohioans and attacking the rights of Ohioans.
Gongwer 3/14/12
There's no school finance overhaul, but Gov. John Kasich's "mid-biennium review" still has plenty of other budgetary and policy shake-ups to keep the Statehouse buzzing for the next few months.
Key among them is a plan to cut the state income tax by an estimated $900 million to $1 billion over five years, depending on how much revenue a corresponding increase in the oil and gas severance tax yields.
Another tax-related proposal would close tax "loopholes" that large banks exploit to reduce the taxes that smaller community banks pay by about $30 million, according to the administration.
The governor and several administration officials briefed the media Wednesday on the MBR, which also proposes substantial changes to energy policy, education and workforce development, and provisions designed to help local governments save money.
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