COLUMBUS, OH — A proposed constitutional amendment to abolish property taxes in Ohio has taken its first formal step toward the ballot. On Monday, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office approved the title and summary language of the citizen-led petition titled “Abolishment of Taxes on Real Property.”
The proposal would add Section 14 to Article XII of the Ohio Constitution and aims to eliminate all real property taxes statewide. The petition was submitted on May 1, and under Ohio law, the Attorney General’s Office is tasked with determining whether the summary fairly and accurately reflects the amendment’s intent.
“Having carefully examined this submission, I conclude that the title and summary are fair and truthful statements of the proposed constitutional amendment,” the Attorney General’s Office stated in a letter to the petitioners.
With this approval, the proposal now moves to the Ohio Ballot Board, which must decide whether the amendment constitutes a single issue or multiple amendments. If the Ballot Board certifies the language, supporters of the measure must then gather signatures from registered voters equal to 10% of the total votes cast in the most recent gubernatorial election. Those signatures must be distributed across at least 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties, with at least 5% of the gubernatorial vote represented in each of those counties.
If enough valid signatures are collected and verified by the Ohio Secretary of State at least 65 days before a statewide election, the proposal will appear on the next general or regular election ballot, assuming it meets the 125-day filing deadline.
The full certification letter and proposed amendment text are available for public review on the Attorney General’s website.
