DeWine reins in out-of-control data center tax break; Would Ramaswamy?

COLUMBUS, OH — Gov. Mike DeWine has paused a tax break for data centers after reporting showed it costs Ohioans nearly 12 times the original projection.  

Last year, the tax break for data center equipment and construction materials cost almost $1.57 billion, according to the Ohio Department of Taxation. That’s on top of the $2.5 billion Ohio policymakers handed over to the data center industry between 2017 and 2024 – with relatively few jobs to show for it. 

Meanwhile, a new study from Innovation Ohio shows that DeWine’s would-be successor, Vivek Ramaswamy, holds significant investments in nearly every part of the data center supply chain – including industrial real estate firms that build and operate data centers. If elected, would his policies put himself, or Ohio communities first?

“Ohio’s tech billionaire gravy train has gone too far – even for Mike DeWine,” said Innovation Ohio President Michael McGovern. “But what if our governor was also a tech billionaire cashing in on the data center boom at the expense of our communities? Ohioans need to know where Vivek Ramaswamy stands on these critical issues.”