While activists gather signatures to try to eliminate property taxes statewide in Ohio, a lawmaker is suggesting Ohio should tax the underlying land instead of the total property including improvements like homes and buildings.
Changing incentives
The proposal for new land taxing authority from Ohio state Sen. Bill Blessing, R-Colerain Twp., would only apply to local elected boards, and it’s permissive, so they don’t have to impose a land tax if they don’t want one.
His proposal, Ohio Senate Joint Resolution 7, would need supermajority support in both chambers of the General Assembly before it could go before voters.
The idea amounts to a reordering of incentives, and Blessing believes several positive developments could flow from that simple change…