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The State of Ohio - Future of the Slots Plan
 
 
For months, Gov. Ted Strickland has been asked whether he'd support raising taxes to balance the budget. He's always said no, but now he's proposing a rollback of the final phase in of the five-year income tax cut that began in 2005. He says it's not a tax increase, but critics, including House Minority Leader Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) and Rep. Ron Amstutz (R-Wooster) say since the tax cut went into effect in January, it is. Strickland says because of a change in the personal exemption, many Ohioans will pay less in taxes this year even without the tax cut. But Rep. Louis Blessing (R-Cincinnati) says the tax cut rollback will cost those Ohioans money they would have gotten with the tax cut. So far Speaker Armond Budish (D-Beachwood) isn't endorsing Strickland's proposal, and neither is Senate President Bill Harris (R-Ashland), who played a critical role in getting the governor's budget passed in July.

As for the slots plan, Gov. Strickland is asking the Ohio Supreme Court for a quick ruling on whether he has the authority to implement slots in the future. One of the three groups that filed lawsuits against the slots plan was the Ohio Christian Alliance. Its lawyer Sen. Tim Grendell (R-Chesterland) says that group is now taking a wait and see approach.

It's been a busy week with this budget story and others, and the reporters of the Statehouse News Bureau, Bill Cohen and Jo Ingles, share their thoughts on this and other headlines.

October 2, 2009