Group seeks elimination of estate tax

SPECIAL TO THE VINDICATOR

COLUMBUS — A group hoping to eliminate Ohio’s estate tax has been given the green light to begin collecting petition signatures to place the issue before lawmakers.

The Ohio Ballot Board on Thursday certified the petition language submitted by Citizens United to End Ohio’s Estate Tax — a required step before hitting the streets to gain citizens’ support.

The group has until late December to submit signatures — about 121,000 are required — for the initiated legislation. Lawmakers then would have four months to act; if they fail to pass it, then the group could collect additional signatures to place the issue before voters in November 2010.

Jack Boyle, director of the Ohio office of Americans for Prosperity and member of the estate tax elimination effort, said he expected the latter.

“I don’t think there really is much enthusiasm in the General Assembly for this,” he said. “And, so, I will be pleasantly surprised if they pass it. Frankly, we’re planning on needing to do both segments of the petition drive and have the thing on the ballot.”

Boyle said the group would roll out its campaign soon.

“We’ll be out in the next few weeks with some announcements, talking about our plans,” he said.

The proposed law would eliminate Ohio’s estate tax as of Dec. 31, 2012. The tax is currently levied on the property of the deceased.

A study by the Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions, a nonpartisan research institute, called the tax “the worst in the country, kicking in on estates valued as low as $338,333.”