Columbus, OH – Robert Alt, president and chief executive officer of The Buckeye Institute, issued the following statement as the Ohio House and Senate conference committee begins meeting on Ohio’s transportation budget.

“As a conference committee prepares to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate versions of Ohio’s transportation budget, several key goals should be utmost in policymakers’ minds:

• Ensure that the overall tax burden on Ohioans does not increase;
• Save tax dollars on construction projects; and
• Prioritize government spending to ensure tax dollars are used wisely.

“Raising the gas tax places a significant tax burden on ordinary Ohioans, and the Ohio Senate deserves credit for offering some relief by expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). But that action alone is not enough. More work remains to be done by the General Assembly and the DeWine Administration to ensure that the total tax burden Ohioans face is not increased and that savings are found in other areas of the budget to offset any gas tax increase.

“Additional tax cuts are possible if the General Assembly and the DeWine Administration redouble their efforts to reduce spending in non-essential areas, which The Buckeye Institute has identified in its past Piglet Book and capital budget report. The Buckeye Institute stands ready to work with policymakers to find innovative ways to invest in Ohio’s roads, highways, and bridges while ensuring no significant new tax burden is placed on Ohioans.”

Piglet Book® is a registered trademark of Citizens Against Government Waste and is used with their permission.

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