Kasich Backtracks on Funeral Services Tax, Keeps Exemptions for Oil and Gas

Yesterday we wrote about Kasich’s proposed tax on funeral services along with 19 other services families would need when dealing with the death of a loved one.

Our list came from a spreadsheet made available by the Kasich administration on their budget website on February 7, 2013.

We just received a copy of the testimony from Kasich’s tax Director Joe Testa and it looks like Funeral Services have been moved back up to the list of exempt “health and well-being” services where it belongs.

Unfortunately, exemptions are still being made for services used by the gas an oil industry that could easily be classified as harmful to our “health and well-being”, including:

• Oil field services
• Seismograph & Geophysical services
• Services used directly in producing oil and gas

Kasich warned that he wouldn’t be swayed by special interests.  “They will come to the legislature and they will pound on people,” said Kasich.  “When they win, the people of the state lose.”

It looks like the Oil and Gas industry did their pounding in advance.