Governor Kasich is a Champion for Ohio Agriculture
Opponent Would be No Friend of Ohio’s Farmers
This week, Governor Kasich and his gubernatorial opponent, Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald, attended the Farm Science Review in Madison County. While both men visited with Ohio farmers, only Governor Kasich has a record of accomplishment supporting agriculture in the state.
“There are very good reasons why Governor Kasich and his legislative allies get high marks from Ohio farmers – and it all starts with tax cuts,” said Terry McClure, co-chair of the Ohio Republican Party Agriculture Coalition. “In an industry where a farmer’s bottom line depends on something as unpredictable as the weather, keeping costs low is vital. The tax cuts passed by the legislature and signed into law by Governor Kasich help do exactly that.”
State Senator Bob Peterson said, “Ohio farmers need something to count on. When Governor Kasich and the legislature eliminated the estate tax, cut taxes for small businesses by 50%, and cut income taxes by 10% — farmers won. Farmers have it tough enough these days — we should be finding ways to help them, not tax them. Keeping the family farm going got that much easier because of the tax relief championed by Governor Kasich and the legislature.”
Since taking office, Governor Kasich has been a champion for Ohio farmers. In addition to the small business tax cut, a few of the Governor’s accomplishments include:
Creating the Agribusiness Roundtable
Governor Kasich established an advisory board of 25 of the state’s top agricultural leaders to suggest improvements for Ohio’s agricultural policy. Governor Kasich uses this feedback to guide his decision making.
Killing the ‘death tax’
Ohio’s farm families had been struggling for decades under this burdensome tax. Small family farms were forced to sell off valuable assets to pay the death tax. Governor Kasich helped to deliver what farmers have been pushing for since the 1970s and now farmers won’t be burdened with excessive long-term planning and payments just to be able to do their job.
Opening new markets for Ohio farmers
Governor Kasich understands the importance of creating access for Ohio farmers to foreign markets looking to buy quality Ohio commodities. That’s why Governor Kasich worked to remove regulatory barriers to exporting Ohio livestock, and provided funding to the Wilmington Air Park to provide Ohio’s first viable air-export facility for livestock. Ohio’s farmers now have greater access to international markets.
Senator Peterson continued, “I wonder if, when Ed FitzGerald stood in front of Ohio farmers, he told them that he opposed these tax cuts and would raise those taxes if elected governor. FitzGerald would increase costs for farmers.”
FitzGerald said, when these taxes were cut, that the money should instead go to government instead of Ohioans. To FitzGerald, government is the answer — and that means higher taxes to pay for expanding Ohio government bureaucracy instead of tax cuts that help Ohio farmers keep costs low.
FitzGerald has also been a vocal opponent of the Governor’s $3 billion plan to improve our highways. Good roads are critical to Ohio agriculture. They are how Ohio crops get to market quickly and cost-effectively. Ed FitzGerald opposed Gov. Kasich’s highway plan–a plan that is already revitalizing Ohio infrastructure and providing the roads farmers need to move their products faster and cheaper.
“If FitzGerald had his way, we’d still be playing politics, sitting in neutral, and farmers would be struggling,” said McClure.
