Executive budget | Highlights

Gov. John Kasich’s executive budget proposal includes:

Reducing the number of income-tax brackets to five from nine.

Increasing the personal income tax exemption to $3,000 from $2,250 for Ohioans earning less than $40,000 annually and to $2,500 from $2,000 for those earning between $40,000 and $80,000.

Centralizing municipal business tax filings, having companies submit payments and paperwork to the state, which would distribute payments back to local governments.

Increasing the state sales tax rate to 6.25 percent from 5.75 percent and upping the tax rates on alcohol, cigarettes and other tobacco and vapor products.

Establishing a new fixed-rate tax of 6.5 percent for oil and gas production at the wellhead, with a 4.5 percent rate for natural gas and natural gas liquids produced later in the process.

Requiring school boards to appoint three local business people as nonvoting members.

Increasing school funding by $200 million over the biennium.

Freezing tuition and fees at public colleges and universities.

Requiring colleges and universities, starting in the fall of 2018, to provide textbooks to students, with provisions to enable them to offset some of those costs.

Enabling high-school students to earn class credit for work-related experiences.

Increasing programming to allow students to complete three years of their four-year degrees at community colleges.

Pumping an additional $122 million into programming for disabled residents.

Source: Governor’s Office