POLICY WIRE FACT CHECK: Trump’s False Claims Regarding Amy Acton’s Plan to Double Ohio Income Taxes
The Claim During a heated campaign rally on October 12 in Youngstown, Ohio, former President Donald Trump made a provocative assertion regarding Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy Acton....
The Claim
During a heated campaign rally on October 12 in Youngstown, Ohio, former President Donald Trump made a provocative assertion regarding Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy Acton. Trump claimed that Acton ‘is trying to double your state income tax,’ urging supporters to favor her Republican opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy, by framing Acton’s past tenure as the state chief health officer as a precursor to financial ruin for Ohioans.
This claim is not isolated to a single speech; it has been aggressively amplified by the Ramaswamy campaign and the Ohio Republican Party. The allegation has circulated through pro-Ramaswamy digital advertisements, social media campaigns, state press releases, and a dedicated campaign website titled ‘Can’t Afford Amy Acton,’ which asserts her policy proposals would necessitate a $21 billion annual revenue increase, effectively doubling the state income tax rate.
The Details & Investigation
Our investigation into the $21 billion figure cited by Trump reveals it to be built upon fundamentally flawed and unsupported assumptions. According to the Ohio Department of Taxation, the state collected approximately $11 billion in individual income taxes in fiscal 2025. To ‘double’ this tax, the state would need to generate an additional $11 billion annually. However, the Ramaswamy campaign’s $21 billion estimate is derived from math that does not align with Acton’s actual policy platform.
A primary driver of the misinformation involves the cost of medical debt forgiveness. The opposition estimated this would cost $15.1 billion annually by multiplying an estimated 810,000 Ohioans by the national average medical debt of $18,660. Daniel Skinner, a health policy expert at Ohio University, noted that this figure lacks credibility because it assumes every person with medical debt would be eligible and fails to recognize that retiring existing debt is largely a one-time expense rather than a recurring annual cost.
Furthermore, the claim regarding childcare subsidies is similarly inflated. The opposition calculated a $5.6 billion cost by assuming a $13,000 annual cost for all 520,000 households. However, Acton’s platform has focused on expanding access to safe and affordable childcare rather than calling for universal, government-funded childcare. Heather Smith of the nonprofit Policy Matters Ohio clarified that only families under the federal poverty level are currently exempt from co-payments, meaning the state would only shoulder the full cost if eligibility were expanded to all families.
Based on these findings, the claim constitutes DISINFORMATION. While Acton’s campaign has not yet provided a comprehensive line-item budget for her proposals—which include tax credits for working families and closing loopholes for the wealthy—the specific assertion that she wants to double the income tax is based on the deliberate use of exaggerated and unrealistic cost projections designed to mislead voters. Acton’s campaign has explicitly stated they would not raise the state income tax to fund her proposals.
The Verdict
The claim that Amy Acton wants to double Ohio’s income tax is FALSE. The investigation shows that the $21 billion figure used to support this assertion is based on fabricated calculations, such as treating one-time debt relief as annual costs and assuming universal eligibility for programs that the candidate has not proposed.
While the candidate is still detailing the specific funding mechanisms for her tax credits, there is no evidence of any policy or intent to double the state income tax. The narrative is a coordinated effort to use misleading data to influence voters.
Counter-misinformation & disinformation investigation conducted by PolicyWire Editorial Desk (PW).