Washington County Commissioner Speaks Out Against Proposed Ohio Severance Tax

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The debate over the proposed severance tax for Ohio oil and natural gas production seems to have been going on forever now, and it isn't letting up.  There have been many voices on both sides of the issue, and now Washington County commissioner Ron Feathers has added his to the throng with a letter to the Parkersburg News and Sentinel:
We are told that oil and gas producers are not paying their fair share, however the taxes paid by the oil and gas industry and landowners are many; income tax, property tax, motor vehicle gas tax, ad valorem tax, commercial activity tax, and sales tax. 
I am opposed to any additional increase in the Severance Tax. I believe our local landowners and private business know best how to manage their profits. If the industry is not strapped with the burden of more taxes, local and regional revenues will increase substantially by the advance of business development and employment. 
I refuse to accept the falsehoods that government can pick winners and losers and that government confiscation/redistribution of wealth is somehow fair. 
The citizens of Southern and Eastern Ohio stand at the edge of an unparalleled economic legacy not realized since the late 19th century. This tax will undoubtedly thwart any recompense if not extinguish.
Click here to read the entire letter.

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