COLUMBUS—State Senator Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson) and State Representative Bill Roemer (R-Richfield) were both recently presented with the Outstanding Legislator Award from the Ohio Society of CPAs for their recent work to improve Ohio’s tax code and business climate. The presentation was hosted by Jim Schulte, CPA, whose company serves Fairlawn and the surrounding area.
 
Senator Roegner was the only Senator to receive this prestigious award in the last 2 years. “I am so thankful to the OSCPA’s and all the CPA’s in the State of Ohio for the important work they do every day to help individuals and businesses with their accounting needs. It is always a pleasure to work with Representative Roemer and the Ohio Society of CPA’s in Columbus to pass legislation to benefit Ohio’s taxpayers.”

“I am truly honored to receive this recognition from OSCPA,” said Roemer. “Throughout my legislative career, one of my top priorities has always been to make Ohio a better place to do business. It is always a pleasure to work alongside Senator Roegner and OSCPA toward those aims. Thanks to Jim Schulte, CPA for hosting this event and to both Greg Saul and Barb Benton at OSCPA for presenting the awards."

In the last year alone, Representative Roemer and Senator Roegner have led numerous initiatives to simplify Ohio tax law and enact regulatory reform.

Representative Roemer, himself a CPA, was a primary sponsor of legislation to allow accounting students to sit for the CPA exam after completing 120 hours of instruction, which became law last year. He also led the charge to change the withholding rate for pass-through entities to 3% - aligning it with the applicable tax rate. Additionally, he continues to champion legislation to simplify municipal tax filing and provide amnesty from interest and fees in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
In addition to being the primary sponsor of Ohio’s tax conformity legislation enacted in March, Senator Roegner is also the primary sponsor of Senate Bill 97 (regarding municipal income tax withholding refunds) which was ultimately enacted in the operating budget, and Senate Bill 210, which would repeal Ohio’s marriage penalty. She also successfully advocated for permanently exclude workers’ compensation dividends from commercial activities taxes. Looking forward, Senator Roegner is working on legislation to eliminate taxes on certain fees and to ensure Ohio’s companies are not unfairly treated with respect to Business Income Deduction (BID) when a company is sold.