New Poll Shows Strong Bipartisan Support in Ohio for Proposed TABOR
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 4, 2005 Contact: Emily Clegg (614)224-4422
New Poll Shows Strong Bipartisan Support in Ohio for Proposed Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights Amendment
Majority of Republicans & Democrats Support Measure
COLUMBUS – A new poll released today by the Americans for Prosperity Foundation and the Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions shows that Ohio voters support by a nearly 3-to-1 margin a proposed Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights amendment that would cap the growth of state and local spending at the rate of inflation plus population growth. A proposed state Constitutional amendment that would enact such a tax-and-spending limit will be on Ohio’s ballot in November.
“The strong bi-partisan support for the Taxpayer Bill of Rights demonstrates that Ohio’s taxpayers want to rein in wasteful government spending and stop tax increases that hurt so many families while killing quality jobs,” said Mark Block, AFPF’s Regional Field Director. “We look forward to working with Ohioans from all walks of life this fall to pass a Taxpayer Bill of Rights to bring fiscal sanity back to Columbus.”
The survey was conducted July 20-21 by Public Opinion Strategies, a national polling firm. The results show that 57 percent of likely voters would support the amendment, with only 20 percent opposed and 22 percent undecided. A closer look at the results also shows strong bipartisan support for the amendment, with 56 percent of Democrats and 61 percent of Republicans supporting it. The more voters learn about the amendment and how it works, the more they favor it. Total support jumped to 71 percent, with only 15 percent opposed, after respondents were given more information about the amendment.
Considering the high level of taxes and government spending in Ohio, such strong bipartisan support for a Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights shouldn’t be surprising. The Buckeye Institute has pointed out that state government spending increased by 63.4 percent between 1994 and 2002 – nearly three times the rate of inflation. The Tax Foundation has also estimated that Ohio’s tax burden is now nearly 36 percent heavier than it was in 1970 – the largest increase in the nation. In addition, the Americans for Prosperity Foundation’s recent Fiscal Discipline Report Card gave Ohio an “F” because it lacks any kind of tax and expenditure limit.
“The message from Ohioans to politicians of both parties is clear: stop spending our hard-earned tax dollars on political payoffs and pet projects,” noted David Hansen, President of the Buckeye Institute. “Voters see the Taxpayer Bill of Rights as their rightful restraint on a government unable or unwilling to live within its means.”
Americans for Prosperity Foundation is a nationwide organization of citizen leaders committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFPF believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org.
The Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions is a nonpartisan research and educational institute devoted to representing the viewpoint of individual liberty, economic freedom, and limited government in the policy debates about Ohio’s present and future.
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