Ramaswamy pledges property tax rollback amid questions over feasibility
GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy vows historic property tax cuts but critics warn of $6.6 billion in local service reductions.
COLUMBUS, OHIO — Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is promising to roll back property taxes to “levels where they were before the end of the Covid pandemic,” but critics and experts are raising questions about the feasibility and impact of such a proposal.
Plan Could Cut $6.6 Billion from Local Services
Innovation Ohio, a think tank, estimates Ramaswamy’s plan would result in $6.6 billion in cuts to local agencies including schools, public safety departments, libraries and public health services.
“Rolling back the tax base would mean deep, immediate cuts to schools, fire stations, and services in every county,” the group’s report states.
Property Tax Reform Already Complex Issue
The proposal comes as grassroots organizers across Ohio are working to eliminate property taxes entirely. State lawmakers have taken that effort seriously, passing a series of major property tax reforms last year with additional proposals currently working through committee.
A working group composed of former lawmakers, school officials and auditors spent months last year wrestling over property tax reform. Although they endorsed several bills that lawmakers later approved, the effort highlighted the difficulty of balancing competing interests when cutting property taxes.
Campaign Provides Few Details
Ramaswamy’s plan remains light on specifics, and no governor can unilaterally reduce property taxes through executive action. Ohio Capital Journal reached out to Ramaswamy’s campaign for details about the proposal but received no policy specifics.
Campaign spokesperson Connie Luck responded with a written statement saying “our campaign doesn’t take policy advice from the Democrat staffers who ran up an $8 billion state budget shortfall and lost 300,000 jobs 15 years ago.”
Howard Fleeter, an economist and school funding expert, questioned the timeline of Ramaswamy’s proposal. Property taxes had been climbing for years even before the pandemic began, raising questions about whether the candidate wants to roll back taxes to the middle of the pandemic period.
The complexity of Ohio’s property tax system and the ongoing legislative efforts to reform it suggest that implementing such a rollback would face significant practical and political challenges, regardless of who occupies the governor’s mansion.
