Arise Ohio takes its role as the voice of taxpayers seriously. So when we saw the opportunity for taxpayers to get a respite, we took it.
On July 1, 2021, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a law which provided $1.64 billion in income tax cuts for Ohioans in desperate need of relief. The plan lowers rates for all Ohio taxpayers, eliminates the previous top bracket of 4.8% and raises the state’s income tax exemption.
The cuts went against the Biden Administration’s unconstitutional attempt to bar states from cutting taxes as a condition of receiving aid as part of the American Rescue Plan. Fortunately, a federal judge ruled in Ohio’s favor when they challenged this provision and DeWine signed the tax cuts into law only hours later.
Aiding in this massive taxpayer victory was Arise Ohio’s targeted digital campaign aimed at lawmakers working directly on the income tax cut. We continued to help when Ohioans were faced with two Republican tax cut plans that were competing with one another – especially as one provided more relief than the other.
Our efforts turned up the pressure in Columbus by closely targeting six districts represented by key members of the conference committee. This campaign earned 52,000 impressions and helped Ohioans contact six critical lawmakers directly in the three days ahead of the vote. Ultimately, lawmakers decided on the far more generous tax-cut package, which was praised by the Wall Street Journal.
Our outreach and the pressure it created helped bring this tax relief initiative to victory.