SENATE CAMPAIGN Fingerhut blasts Voinovich tax policy

Fingerhut calls the national economy a 'big fiscal mess.'
By ROGER G. SMITH
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Eric Fingerhut supports tax cuts, just not U.S. Sen. George V. Voinovich's tax cuts.
Tax cuts should help Ohio move forward economically, said Fingerhut, the Democratic state senator from Cuyahoga County trying to unseat Voinovich, R-Cleveland, in the November election. Voinovich was a two-term Ohio governor before being elected to a six-year term in the U.S. Senate in 1998.
Voinovich's support of President Bush's tax cuts hasn't helped the state's economy, Fingerhut said Wednesday in a meeting with Vindicator writers.
He cited federal tax cuts that lowered estate taxes and a top income tax bracket and eliminated taxes on dividends for public companies. Fingerhut then pointed to job losses across the state, especially after the tax cuts were implemented.
"What about those elements was good for Ohio?" he asked. "The evidence is we're heading in the wrong direction."
Instead, Fingerhut offered his version of tax policy. Those include tax credits to offset the cost of hiring workers and tax breaks on U.S.-made machinery, both of which would create jobs, he said. He also supports permanent tax credits on research and development that would create startup companies and expand existing businesses, he said.
Giving students who start companies tax breaks on student loans and restoring federal grants to drop the cost of two- and four-year education also are vital, he said.
Response
Marcie Ridgway, a Voinovich campaign spokeswoman, disputed Fingerhut's assertions.
A few days ago, Voinovich supported a Senate-approved tax package that included $7.6 billion for research and development tax credits, she said. Voinovich continues supporting incentives that Ohio businesses need to invest in and expand their businesses, she said.
Voinovich has worked to pass tax incentives including a child tax credit that put $1,000 into the pockets of Ohio families, as well as eliminating the marriage penalty.
Fingerhut said his version of economic policy would benefit the state including the Mahoning Valley, such as helping to develop Youngstown State University. He also supports federal investment into the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport and the Youngstown Air Reserve Station.
The federal economic policies Voinovich supports aren't preparing Ohio for the future and are damaging the nation, Fingerhut said. He pointed to U.S. budget and trade deficits approaching $1 trillion.
"This is a big mess. It's a big fiscal mess and we're in it in a big way," he said. "The record speaks for itself."
Data show job losses
Fingerhut blasted Voinovich over jobs data that say Ohio lost more than 219,000 jobs since 2000.
According to the data, which the Fingerhut campaign said came from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and the Council for Economic Opportunities in Greater Cleveland and compared first-quarter jobs figures over those years, the state lost 219,527 or 4.2 percent of its jobs, excluding federal employment.
Ridgway, though, said Voinovich knows how to help jump-start Ohio's economy.
"George Voinovich has led Ohio to times of its greatest prosperity. As governor he created 600,000 jobs and brought unemployment to a 25-year low, " Ridgway said.
XContributor: Vindicator correspondent Jeff Ortega