Ohioans who regularly give money to churches would be able to deduct that money from their taxable income under a bill that’s still being drafted. Ohio is among 14 states that don’t allow such deductions, but 29 states do.
Though the measure hasn’t been officially introduced, its sponsor said it’s bipartisan with a quarter of the House in support.
The "Tithing Protection Act" would allow Ohioans who file itemized deductions to get a credit off their taxable income, similar to charitable contributions. The bill is 41 pages long and still hasn't been introduced so it doesn't have a number. It has two joint sponsors; Reps. Josh Williams (R-Sylvania Twp.) and Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus). A draft of the bill provided to the Statehouse News Bureau on Thursday showed 19 Republicans and one Democrat as co-sponsors.
"As taxes continue to rise more and more, we're seeing a precipitous drop in the donations to charitable contributions to our churches, including tithing in general," Williams said in announcing the bill. "That's leaving our churches financially strained, even though they continue to try to provide the resources that classically they provided to our communities."
Willams was joined at the announcement of the bill by Sen. Michele Reynolds (R-Canal Winchester), who said she would carry a version of the bill in that chamber. Reynolds is married to Rick Reynolds, the pastor of Shining Light Bible Mission Church in Obetz.
There's no fiscal analysis of the bill, since it has yet to be introduced, and no estimate on how much offering the credit will cost the state. But Wiliams said that with a record $3.9 billion in the state’s rainy day savings fund, whatever it costs is worth it.
“We just provided tax relief to some of the richest Americans in Ohio in the last budget. I supported that," Williams said. "So I think we should be providing tax relief also to that 87 year old grandmother of mine that's on Social Security that gives to her church faithfully.”
Williams said it could help churchgoers at all income levels, and he said he specifically doesn’t want an upper-level cap on the credit.
“I think if a millionaire in our community wants to donate $100,000 to the church, they should be able to get full credit for what they gave," Williams said. "I don't think it's the only the poorest of Ohioans that should get this tax relief because that's just restricting what can be given to the church.”
Though the provided draft of the bill only includes references to churches, Williams said it would cover other denominations besides Christianity.
