Rich Ohioans would lose most under Strickland’s plan to freeze tax cut

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An analysis indicates that the wealthiest Ohioans would account for most of the money Gov. Ted Strickland hopes to raise by freezing a planned income tax cut.

A review of state Department of Taxation records by The Dispatch newspaper finds that Ohioans earning more than $200,000 a year would provide 40 percent of the revenue.

The analysis shows that Ohioans earning between $100,000 and $200,000 annually would contribute another 20 percent of the $844 million Strickland hopes to raise.

The majority of Ohio taxpayers, those earning between $20,000 and $80,000 a year, would lose an average of $44 they would have saved if the freeze is approved.

Strickland has proposed freezing income tax cuts for two years to fund education in the wake of a court decision that halted his plan to put lottery slot machines at racetracks.