Ohio Tax Plan Hits Concerts, Sports, Even Bowling

By JOHN SEEWER

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) ⿿ Expanding Ohio's sales tax might take some of the fun out of going to concerts, football games and amusement parks.

Gov. John Kasich wants to cut the state's overall sales-tax rate while also putting the lower 5 percent sales tax on a long list of new items that include circuses, arcade games and carnival rides.

Admission to fairs, museums, and theme parks would fall under Ohio's sales tax for the first time too. So would tickets to pro, college and high school games.

The governor is proposing sweeping changes in the way Ohio taxes businesses and individuals in his two-year budget that still must be approved by lawmakers. Kasich's plan includes cutting the income tax rate by 20 percent over three years and the small business tax by 50 percent.

The reductions add up to $1.4 billion in tax cuts over three years.

At the same time, his proposal tacks on Ohio's sales tax to attorney fees, cable TV and pet grooming as well as entertainment options.

"By broadening this tax, by broadening it, we're actually bringing greater fairness to the system," Kasich said last week.

Adding the sales tax on arts, entertainment, and recreation alone is projected to bring in $85 million to the state government over the coming two years.

It's also likely to add to the cost of seeing a ballgame or a play.

Some entertainment businesses and sports teams will pass the costs onto ticket buyers and customers while others are likely to absorb the costs, fearing that a price increase will drive away business.

"There has to be a decrease somewhere, either in my profits or customers," said Eric Bates, president of Bates Brothers Amusements Co., which is based in Wintersville in eastern Ohio and supplies carnival rides to fairs and festivals.

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