Senator Mike DeWine - A Proven Fighter For Lower Taxes
Senator DeWine has helped lead the fight in the Senate for lower taxes for all Ohio taxpayers, including individuals, families, and small businesses. His opponent, Congressman Sherrod Brown, has consistently opposed tax relief for Ohioans and has voted for higher taxes over 100 times.Senator DeWine strongly believes that taxpayers, not the federal government, know what’s best for the money they earn. That’s why he has voted to pass over $2 trillion in tax cuts into law in just the last six years. These cuts will help taxpayers keep their hard-earned money and put it to use in ways that best meet their needs. In fact, Senator DeWine has voted for two of the largest tax cuts in U.S. history. The 2001 and 2003 tax cuts have helped over 4.4 million Ohioans have lower taxes. A family of four with annual income of $50,000 has received a tax cut of approximately $2,100 as a result of these tax cuts. Highlights of these historic tax relief packages:Cut income tax rates for over 110 million Americans nationwide;
Established a new 10 percent bracket, which cuts taxes for more than 4 million lower income taxpayers in Ohio, and expanded the refundable Earned Income Tax Credit;
Took between 4 and 5 million Americans off the tax rolls completely, eliminating 100% of these individuals’ tax burden;
Doubled the Child Tax Credit, providing families throughout America, including over 1 million households in Ohio, with children an immediate $500 tax cut;
Eliminated the “marriage penalty” that for years has resulted in married couples paying higher taxes than individuals, saving Ohio families on their tax returns each year;
Temporarily phased out the “Death Tax” (also known as the Estate Tax) through 2010. Senator DeWine continues to work to repeal this unfair tax, and has voted for compromise efforts to reduce the tax as well;
Increased contribution limits for education savings accounts, created college tuition tax deductions of up to $3,000 per year, and created tax deductions for taxpayers that have paid interest on college loans;
Increased contribution limits to retirement plans, such as IRAs or 401(k) savings accounts, to help taxpayers secure their future.
Helped stimulate investment and economic growth by cutting taxes on capital gains, and ending the unfair double taxation of dividends.
Spurred small businesses and manufacturers to reinvest profits to fuel growth and create new jobs by increasing small business expensing limits for new equipment purchases from $25,000 annually to $100,000, and by creating a depreciation incentive of 50% for capital goods purchased by businesses. Over 850,000 business taxpayers in Ohio will benefit from these provisions;
Despite all of these benefits for taxpayers, Congressman Sherrod Brown showed his true colors by voting against both the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. He says he is for tax cuts, but he voted for the largest tax increase in U.S. history in 1993, which even increased gas taxes and taxes on Social Security benefits. At one point, Congressman Brown voted for a version of the massive 1993 tax increase that would have also levied new energy taxes on Ohio businesses, manufacturers, and families. Thank goodness the energy tax supported by Congressman Brown did not become law, because according to numerous studies over 24,000 jobs in Ohio would have been destroyed if it had. In fact, in the last six years, Congress passed into law 7 bills providing net tax cuts for taxpayers, families and business. According to the bipartisan Joint Tax Committee, the total amount of these tax cuts is just over two trillion dollars. While Senator DeWine voted for every dollar of those tax cuts, Congressman Brown voted against 91% of them. To confuse voters, Congressman Brown has published a list of what he claims are 33 votes for “tax relief.” But 28 of those votes were for amendments that failed or for bills that never became public law – and thus provided no tax relief for Ohioans whatsoever. In fact, in 12 of the last 13 years, the nonpartisan National Taxpayers Union has given Congressman Brown a “D” or an “F” in its annual scorecards rating Members of Congress. Senator DeWine looks forward to working with both Democrats and Republicans to continue to pass pro-family and pro-growth legislation that provides tax relief for all Ohioans. He will focus his efforts on finding ways to use tax cuts to make real, tangible positive impacts on the lives of Ohioans, though expansion of the Child Tax Credit, tuition tax credits, Estate Tax repeal, investment incentives, and other tax policies that help strengthen our economy and increase taxpayers’ control of their own hard earned money.
