Green Party Nominee Spisak Opposes Duke Energy Tax Request

[Rick Rowlands]

Spoken by a person who believes that private property actually belongs to the government! 

[irishbobcat]

Green Party Nominee Spisak Opposes Duke Energy Tax Request
By Dennis Spisak - Jun 25, 2010 4:41:44 PM ET 


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At a time when school payments from the state of Ohio are declining, this is no time for the Ohio Department of Taxation to agree to a new method of valuing Public Utility Personal Property that will further erode our tax base. However, that is exactly what is currently under consideration by the Strickland Administration.
As you know, Duke Energy has asked to lower its public utility personal property assessed valuation by an amount that will result in a yearly loss in taxes for southwestern Ohio schools and other political subdivisions of over $40 million, according to Duke officials! I believe Duke wants to dramatically revalue its personal property in order to substantially lower its tax liability at the expense of Ohio's children.
Based on Duke's request, I also fear that other Ohio utilities could make similar claims. Will AEP or Dayton Power and Light, for example, also file applications to have the value of their personal property greatly lowered? If so, what will the statewide financial implications be for schools throughout Ohio?
Moreover, Duke has notified school districts that it will be "tender paying" its taxes in the future, based on the value the company claims is correct under its petition for reassessment. Thus, the loss to schools is immediate and substantial.
As you know, even with the best intentions of Gov. Ted Strickland and the General Assembly, the current Ohio biennial budget included reductions in school funding — especially during an election year when our state is predicting as much as an $8 billion dollar shortfall for the next biennium — that will further endanger school economic stability.
If public utilities want to change the way Ohio assesses their personal property, they should present their proposal to the General Assembly, not to the state tax commissioner. The legislature is the proper forum to debate and deliberate such an important change that will have long-term financial implications for all the children in Ohio.

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org./governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

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