Anti-property tax group uses Minnesota Somali fraud scandal to advance mission, push for audits

The Ohio group that is advocating to abolish property taxes recently used the uncovering of the Somali fraud scandal in Minnesota to advance its goal and push for audits in the Buckeye State.

“With the massive fraud being discovered in Minnesota, I’m sure Ohio is right in line,” the Committee to Abolish Ohio Property Taxes wrote in its Facebook post, adding that Ohio has the “2nd highest Somali population in the U.S.”

The group used the Minnesota scandal to justify promoting the abolition of property taxes, saying there is “no reason” they should exist and that they are “unconstitutional.”

The group also advocated for audits of Ohio’s entire federal government programs to verify whether any fraud is occurring.

“This gentleman on X is from Ohio and is looking into the daycare fraud,” the group said about political strategist and consultant Walter Curt. “Many more programs need to be investigated.”

Most people in the comments section under the post agreed with the sentiment, with some of them, like Joe Carpenter, going as far as saying that the U.S. government “has betrayed Ohioans by importing the Somalis and Haitians into the state.”

“Rot starts at the head,” one commenter wrote, adding that Republican Gov. Mike DeWine “has repeatedly praised the Somalis and the Haitians and “many contributions” they have made to the state (and DeWine’s pocket).”

However, some people in the comments section pointed out that Ohio is not Minnesota because the state is not “run by flaming Liberals that put illegal immigrants before our citizens,” adding that even though DeWine is a “RINO,” a Republican in Name Only, “he is not even close to Waltz.”

Other people in Ohio have been pushing for the abolition of property taxes, saying that DeWine’s signing of three bills aimed at slowing property tax growth and limiting automatic increases tied to rising home values is not enough.

According to the grassroots organizers, they are working to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot to abolish property taxes. They also said that caps, reviews, and inflation limits do little for homeowners on fixed incomes who have already paid off their mortgages, but are still required to pay the property taxes.

Among the current Ohio lawmakers who previously advocated for abolishing property taxes was state Rep. Dave Thomas, R-Jefferson, who told Ohio.News in an exclusive interview that eliminating property taxes is “very possible.”

Thomas said that his fellow lawmakers cannot ignore Ohioans’ frustrations with the state’s property taxes any longer, while warning anti-property taxes advocates that ending property taxes without a replacement plan could lead to higher income or sales taxes, which would only shift the burden.

State Rep. Beth Lear, R-Galena, who is running for the Ohio Senate, also criticized property taxes, telling Ohio.News in an exclusive interview that the system disproportionately harms homeowners who have paid off their mortgages, yet still face rising tax bills.

Lear also criticized her fellow lawmakers for not caring enough about the issue that negatively affects working families, retirees, and even residents in traditionally higher-income districts.

“I’m not seeing much concern down in the legislature, except from a handful of us,” she said.

Lear highlighted that the most significant issue Ohioans – and Americans, generally speaking – have with property taxes is the fact that they are forced to pay the government, even if they have already paid off their mortgages.