Heather Sturgill, a volunteer with Move to Amend Miami County, writes to the Dayton Daily News to explain how Ohio House Bill 30 unfairly benefits the ultra wealthy.  

Ohio HB 30 would implement a “flat tax,” meaning teachers, home health aides, nurses, and warehouse workers would pay the same tax rate as billionaires. At first glance, this might seem fair — but it’s not. Percentages matter — and they’re relative. A flat tax is only fair if everything else — housing, food, medicine — each costs a certain % of income. But they don’t.

Example: Ohio’s Education Dept. poverty rate = $27,180 vs Musk’s Tesla compensation = $46 billion.

A $.74 Walmart apple = 0.00272% of the annual income of someone in poverty.0.00272% of Musk’s income = $1.84M for that same apple. Children’s cough syrup costs $6.99. That’s 0.0257% for that person in poverty. 0.0257% for Musk makes that same cough syrup cost = $11.5M. The cheapest Miami County apartment on Zillow = $635/month or $7,620/year. That’s 28% of a poverty-level income.28% of Musk’s income for that same apartment = about $13 BILLION.

A flat tax ignores that no other required expenses are a % of our income, essentially making this a tax break for the wealthy…that don’t NEED the tax break.

When Musk/other millionaires pay the same % of their income for apples & cough syrup as us, then we can talk about him paying the same % income tax rate. Until then, NO to HB 30.

Contact your Ohio House Representative and tell them “NO to HB 30. NO flat tax that treats billionaires like broke workers!”

- Heather Sturgill, Cincinnati