Evidence Ohio schools have not been doing a good job teaching economics was provided recently in the Ohio General Assembly. It came in the form of a suggestion to raise more money for public education.
Members of an Ohio House of Representatives subcommittee were told one way to reform the way schools are funded would be to place more reliance on sales taxes. That could raise an additional $9.9 billion a year, lawmakers were told.
But it would require increasing the current sales tax, 5.5 percent on most items, to a whopping 13.2 percent.
Buckeye State consumers and businesses are having a tough enough time rebounding from the recession. Take another 7.7 cents out of every dollar they spend at the store, and watch the economy crash and burn.
Changes in how schools are funded do need to be made. But abandoning property taxes for education entirely would eliminate much of the voice local taxpayers have in controlling education.
In any event, the cart may have been put before the horse. Is another $9.9 billion in taxation really necessary? Lawmakers who missed economics class in high school may not understand the absurdity of the proposal for a sales tax increase. They should reflect on the fact that voters do understand.
