Today in Ohio - Oct. 11, 2026 Why the candidates for Ohio governor won't increase income taxes and why they should

Yeah, first let's g- get a few figures out of the way.

So anyone with income above $26,050 is taxed at 2.75%, and that's down from 7.5% in 2005 as, as they've shrank the tax brackets.

But it, you know, income tax is bringing $11 billion in state revenue.

That's a quarter of what the state gets every year.

So the questions that Jeremy asked them were, you know, "Do you support getting rid of the income tax? How would you replace the revenue if you eliminate or cut it? Do you pledge to not seek a tax increase? Do you favor creating or eliminating state income tax deductions, credits, or exemptions?" So let's start with Vivek Ramaswamy.

Of course, he has never talked to us, and this last one was no different, but he is campaigning heavily on phasing out the income tax over 10 years.

He said doing that would create an economic boom, and then, you know, he could replace that lost revenue with eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse, although I doubt he'll find $11 billion worth.

Also, he talked about creativity with other revenue sources, uh, collecting more other, you know, c- collecting more other taxes and that, you know, that would result from the economic boom.

So basically, he's thinking an economic boom is gonna save him here.

Uh, the Kansas Republicans made the same promise to their voters, and they're now in a budget crisis.

Um, you know, so Ramaswamy says his first stop is taxing capital, stop taxing capital gains, um, you know, and then other stuff, whatever.

Um, so Amy Acton says she won't raise taxes.

She says her number one priority is to pass a child income tax credit that would be $1,000 per kid up to age six, and $500 per kid ages seven to 18.

Um, she said she would like to make the earned income tax credit refundable and would reduce...

This would reduce revenue by a billion dollars based on an analysis of the same proposal introduced by lawmakers last year.

But she didn't say on how she's gonna replace all that lost revenue.

The Libertarian Don Kissick says he's open to reducing or eliminating the income tax.

That's true to the Libertarian stance on lower taxes.

He said he would pay for that lost revenue with cutting government spending as much as possible.

He says there's a lot of discretionary funding out there.

But the $11 billion that would be lost is more than all of the general revenue spending combined.

And actually, Kissick says he's more focused on abolishing property taxes and the state sales tax instead of the income tax.

Yeah.

Alth- he, he doesn't know what he's talking about.

If you abolish the property tax, you gotta get the money from somewhere.

Yeah, first let's g- get a few figures out of the way.

So anyone with income above $26,050 is taxed at 2.75%, and that's down from 7.5% in 2005 as, as they've shrank the tax brackets.

But it, you know, income tax is bringing $11 billion in state revenue.

That's a quarter of what the state gets every year.

So the questions that Jeremy asked them were, you know, "Do you support getting rid of the income tax? How would you replace the revenue if you eliminate or cut it? Do you pledge to not seek a tax increase? Do you favor creating or eliminating state income tax deductions, credits, or exemptions?" So let's start with Vivek Ramaswamy.

Of course, he has never talked to us, and this last one was no different, but he is campaigning heavily on phasing out the income tax over 10 years.

He said doing that would create an economic boom, and then, you know, he could replace that lost revenue with eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse, although I doubt he'll find $11 billion worth.

Also, he talked about creativity with other revenue sources, uh, collecting more other, you know, c- collecting more other taxes and that, you know, that would result from the economic boom.

So basically, he's thinking an economic boom is gonna save him here.

Uh, the Kansas Republicans made the same promise to their voters, and they're now in a budget crisis.

Um, you know, so Ramaswamy says his first stop is taxing capital, stop taxing capital gains, um, you know, and then other stuff, whatever.

Um, so Amy Acton says she won't raise taxes.

She says her number one priority is to pass a child income tax credit that would be $1,000 per kid up to age six, and $500 per kid ages seven to 18.

Um, she said she would like to make the earned income tax credit refundable and would reduce...

This would reduce revenue by a billion dollars based on an analysis of the same proposal introduced by lawmakers last year.

But she didn't say on how she's gonna replace all that lost revenue.

The Libertarian Don Kissick says he's open to reducing or eliminating the income tax.

That's true to the Libertarian stance on lower taxes.

He said he would pay for that lost revenue with cutting government spending as much as possible.

He says there's a lot of discretionary funding out there.

But the $11 billion that would be lost is more than all of the general revenue spending combined.

And actually, Kissick says he's more focused on abolishing property taxes and the state sales tax instead of the income tax.

Yeah.

Alth- he, he doesn't know what he's talking about.

If you abolish the property tax, you gotta get the money from somewhere.