OMA Tax Counsel Mark Engel of Bricker & Eckler testified before the House Ways and Means Committee this week on the governor’s tax proposals contained in House Bill 49, the state operating budget. The bill makes a variety of changes to the state’s tax system including cutting personal income taxes, reducing the number of personal income tax brackets, centralizing municipal business tax collections, and expanding the base and increasing the rate of the sales tax. The OMA testimony highlighted support for centralizing municipal tax collections and reducing the income tax and brackets, but cautioned against increasing the sales tax rate in order to offset personal income tax reductions. The bill is scheduled to be voted out of the House in mid-April.  3/23/2017