Ohio Republican Governor and Legislators Give Shaft To Senior Citizen Homeowners.

The 130th Ohio General Assembly has just stuck it to me and to other senior citizens in Ohio who own (or are buying) their homes. That is in accordance to Ohio Am. Sub. House Bill 59, the recently enacted State Biennial Budget bill, that Governor John Kasich signed into law on June 30, 2013.

It was just this year that I finally qualified for the Ohio homestead exemption on my house property taxes; and now, the Republican-controlled Ohio state legislature and the Republican Ohio Governor John Kasich have decided to take it way from me and raise my taxes. It is hard enough to live on a fixed income with rising medical expenses and rising utilities and rising food costs and rising gasoline prices and rising everything on the consumer AND now we have the Republican politicians sticking it to us senior citizens.

Well, to be totally truthful, not all senior citizens are adversely impacted. According to the changes just made to the homestead exemption, an individual 65 years or older will receive the exemption provided that the person's total income does not exceed $30,000. Over that amount - too bad, so sad.

I worked hard all my life. I have paid and still do pay plenty of taxes. I have never minded paying taxes; but, I did breathe a slight sigh of relief when I received the homestead exemption this year because it enabled me to better pay the rising medical expenditures that accompany the declining health of us older people in our twilight years. Now, it is gone, gone, gone.

Not only has the real estate property tax homestead exemption been taken away from me, but as a consequence of the change in Ohio's homestead exemption, I will now also lose the discount I had been receiving on my City of Toledo Department of Public Utilities bill. You see, the City of Toledo discount to senior citizens for water, sewer, storm water, and refuse collection is based upon eligibility for the homestead exemption. Unless Toledo City Council makes changes, those local discounts are also gone, gone, gone.

Thank you, Republican Ohio Governor John Kasich. Thank you, Republican-controlled 130th Ohio General Assembly! I hope Santa leaves a lump of coal in your Christmas stocking this year.

Gee, I wonder what would Jesus say to those heartless Ohio Republican elected officials who shoved this law to us where the sun don't shine.

ref: Ohio budget bill tax law changes