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News: Jobs Promises Unfulfilled by Many Companies Getting State Aide, Columbus Dispatch
Notes: Ohioans paid hundreds of millions of dollars to invest in private corporations. A recent audit of these expenses shows that only about 1/2 of the companies succeeded in accomplishing their goals. We need to invest resources into programs that we know improve our communities – like schools, public safety, and community parks. “[While] the percentage of companies that didn’t meet their benchmarks is disturbingly high…The larger question for taxpayers should be whether companies receiving aid would have created those jobs regardless of the incentives,” said Robert Greenbaum, a faculty member at the John Glenn School of Public Affairs at Ohio State University who has studied the effects of government aid.
News: Ohio bill allows same-sex couples to file jointly, Akron Beacon Journal
Notes: If two people are legally married, they can file a joint federal tax return. Those numbers are then used to calculate the couples state tax return. Sounds simple enough. However, a same-sex couple who marries in a state like Iowa – that recognizes gay marriage – must complete a joint federal tax federal tax return and a separate federal tax return filing as individuals and these numbers are then imported onto the state income tax return. When we look at tax policy, we should apply the tax responsibility equally and efficiently when possible.
