Should the state give Ohioans a short break from the sales tax just before the next school year starts? Absolutely.

The Ohio Senate (last) week approved a plan to suspend the sales tax for three days in early August on certain items up to certain amounts (clothing priced at up to $100, for example). The bill’s fate in the House is uncertain.

The idea, which many states adopted years ago, is to help back-to-school shoppers, but it will be a welcome break in other households, too.

We understand that counties and other political subdivisions rely on state and local sales tax proceeds. They don’t want that revenue stream to be dammed up, even for a couple of days. And we know it’s debatable, depending on whom you ask and how you crunch the numbers, whether a short sales tax holiday actually helps the economy.

But here’s why state legislators should make this gesture: They owe the people who elected them. A sales tax holiday would be a long-overdue apology of sorts….

Last year, some tax changes were thrown on the table at the very last minute and ended up in the current budget without benefit of public hearings — even though, of course, the public pays the taxes….

The last-minute tax changes represent the loss of real money to a lot of real people in Ohio — they aren’t just lines on a spreadsheet. Come August, these Ohioans — including parents who have been trying for months or years to find work — will appreciate a short sales tax holiday.

 

The (Canton) Repository