Renacci favors tax reform

The Dispatch series of Q&A’s for Ohio’s gubernatorial candidates continues today with U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci, a Republican from Wadsworth.

If you’ve done everything you could as governor to reduce waste, fraud and abuse, how willing would you be to raise taxes as a last resort to pay for such state services as education, mental health care, battling opioids, running prisons and the like?

___ Very willing

___ Somewhat willing

___ Somewhat unwilling

✓ Very unwilling

Renacci also said, “Would additionally look at government spending and potential reforms.”

Which items would you like to change in Ohio’s current tax structure? (check all that apply)

___ Reduce the state income tax

___ Repeal the small business tax deduction in which owners of pass-through entities — such as LLCs, partnerships, some corporations — pay no state income tax on the first $250,000 of income, and get a 40 percent cut on income topping $250,000 by paying a 3 percent rate instead of 5 percent

___ Restore higher state income tax rates for those in high-income brackets

___ Move toward a flat income tax rate

___ Increase the severance tax on fracking

___ Assess a fee on commercial drug manufacturers and/​or distributors to help pay for the state’s opioid battle

✓ Transform state taxes from those based on income to those based on consumption

___ Increase the state sales tax

___ Decrease the state sales tax

✓ Tap at least part of the state’s rainy day fund to battle the opioid crisis

___ Increase state taxes to provide more money to local governments

___ Restore Ohio’s estate tax

Renacci added, in part: “I believe it is essential to get all the state and local taxing entities into the room to discuss how best we can meet the needs of Ohioans with the lowest combined state/​local tax burden.”  

Do you think Ohio is meeting the state constitutional requirement to provide a “thorough and efficient” education to schoolchildren?

___ Yes

✓ No

___ Don’t know

Renacci did not respond to a question on whether he would support a state tax increase if 100 percent of the revenue went to Ohio public schools, saying he “would need additional information.”

Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school in Ohio?

✓ Yes

___ No

Which comes closest to your stance on Ohio charter schools:

✓ Funding and regulations should continue as they are

___ Funding should be cut, regulations increased

___ Funding should be increased, regulations cut

When should restrictions apply to a woman’s right to have an abortion in Ohio?

(check all that apply, unless your response is “Never” or “Always”)

___ Never: Abortion should be legal with no exceptions

✓ When the life of the woman is endangered

✓ When the health of the woman is endangered

✓ When the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest

✓ When a woman is beyond her second trimester

✓ When a dilation and extraction method (”partial-birth abortion”) is used

✓ When a fetus has/​might get Down Syndrome

✓ When a fetal heartbeat has been detected

✓ When public (government) funds are used

___ Always: Abortion should be illegal with no exceptions

Renaccci added, “To clarify, I am 100 percent pro-life and believe that all life is a gift from our creator.”

Do you think having stricter gun control laws would reduce the number of gun-related deaths in Ohio, or not?

___ WOULD reduce

✓ Would NOT reduce 

Do you think Ohio’s current conceal-carry laws are too restrictive, not restrictive enough, or about right?

✓ Too restrictive

___ Not restrictive enough

___ About right

Which of these proposals related to guns would you support? (check all that apply)

___ There should be no restrictions on guns beyond the Second Amendment

___ Banning the use of bump fire stocks, a gun accessory that allows a shooter to fire scores of rounds per minute

___ Requiring background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows

___ Banning semi-automatic guns commonly known as “assault weapons”

✓ Allowing Ohio teachers and officials to carry guns in K-12 schools

✓ Allowing Ohio public officials to carry concealed guns in government buildings even if the general public cannot carry guns in those facilities

___ Banning high-capacity magazines

___ Requiring owners to store their guns in a safe storage unit

___ Banning gun sales to people who have been convicted of violent crimes

“... Individuals convicted of violent crimes are already prohibited.”

Do you support legalizing recreational marijuana in Ohio?

___ Yes

✓ No

Which comes closest to your stance on Ohio’s death penalty?

✓ Support the current setup of capital punishment for certain crimes

___ Support life in prison without the possibility of parole instead of the death penalty

___ Support even more crimes being subject to the death penalty

Do you support or oppose Ohio’s Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (”Obamacare”)?

___ Support

✓ Oppose

Do you support or oppose generally requiring applicants for Ohio welfare, food stamp and/​or Medicaid benefits to pass a drug test before they can receive these benefits?

✓ Support

___ Oppose

Do you support or oppose same-sex marriage?

___ Support

✓ Oppose

Do you support or oppose the inclusion of sexual orientation in Ohio’s anti-discrimination laws?

___ Support

✓ Oppose

Do you support or oppose the inclusion of gender identity in Ohio’s anti-discrimination laws?

___ Support

✓ Oppose

Should Ohio schools be required to allow transgender or gender fluid students to choose whichever restroom and shower facility they wish to use, or not?

___ Yes

✓ No

Does Ohio need a “right-to-work” law?

✓ Yes

___ No

Should most JobsOhio records currently kept secret be open to the public, or not?

✓ Yes

___ No

Should JobsOhio finances be subject to examination by the state auditor and the results made public?

✓ Yes

___No

Do you support the use of an independent and/​or bipartisan commission to carry out congressional redistricting in Ohio, or do you support keeping the current method?

___ Commission

___ Current method

✓ (Another method: please specify)

“Nonpolitical, ensuring continuity of county/​city border. Potentially computer generated.”

Do you support or oppose removal of all Confederate monuments in Ohio?

___ Support

✓ Oppose

If a supervisory employee under your control as governor has been found to have engaged in sexual harassment , even if it was years ago, will you fire them?

___ Yes

___ No

✓ Depends on the circumstances

Will you make public your complete federal income tax returns for at least the past three years, or not?

___ Yes

✓ No

drowland@

dispatch.com

@darreldrowland

CREDIT: DARREL ROWLAND