March 18, 2010

Governor’s Office

Riffe Center, 30th Floor

77 South High Street

Columbus, OH 43215-6108

Dear Governor Strickland,

With Ohio facing uncertain times and more than 120,000 Ohio jobs lost in 2009 alone, it is of the upmost

importance that state leaders work to retain the businesses we have while attracting new businesses to our state. In

the past two years, nearly 30 major employers have closed their Ohio branches and left many of our neighbors

unemployed.

Added to the list just yesterday was Warner Chilcott, the Mason-based pharmaceutical company that plans to close

its Mason office and consolidate the work to its headquarters in New Jersey. The site will close this summer,

leaving approximately 250 Ohioans jobless.

Governor, what have you done to ensure these positions were fought for? Unemployment in Warren County is

currently at 10.5 percent, and the closure of Warner Chilcott delivers a severe blow to the families of Mason and

Southwest Ohio. This company has been an economic staple within our community and the loss of yet another

corporation from Ohio’s borders raises serious concerns.

During my short time in the legislature, I have witnessed numerous short-range attempts to balance our budgetusing the easiest strategy in the book  — soaking businesses and taxpayers with new unexpected, retroactively hiked

taxes to raise revenue for the state. This short sighted approach has rendered Ohio helpless as we watch thousands

of families and jobs flee our borders. We need to act immediately, and we need to work together to keep our state

alive.

As a CPA, it saddens me to think that Ohio continues to have one of the heaviest tax burdens in the entire nation. I

am inquiring as to what steps you, the leader of our state, would suggest we take to fix our tax code. After

eliminating the final installment of the income tax reduction and thereby pushing a heavier burden on Ohio’s

families, I would urge you to consider not just short-term revenue fixes, but sustainable long-term alternatives as

well.

As a caucus, the House Republicans have proposed measures to modernize Ohio’s tax code and trim wastefulspending, which would have a profound multiplier effect on our economy. To date, none of our bills have been

allowed to pass out of committee or reach the House floor for a vote. I urge you and your colleagues in the House

Democratic Caucus to reexamine these bills and take action before any more companies pack up and relocate to

competing states.

One of these proposals would specifically help in the example of Warner Chilcott. Analyzing company exodus, or

House Bill 337, would require the Ohio Department of Development to produce a report of companies that have

relocated out of Ohio, develop a standard questionnaire to elicit the reasons why those companies have chosen to

leave Ohio, and share its findings with the legislature.

Ohio’s leaders need to consider all factors that have contributed to our state's recent economic decline, specifically job-killing tax codes, in order to jumpstart our economy. I look forward to discussing with you strategies that our

caucus can assist you with implementing to capitalize on the opportunity to improve our state tax code in a lasting

way.

Sincerely,

Peter A. Beck, Mason

State Representative

67th Ohio House District