Gov. John Kasich's proposal to give taxpayers a few more bucks in their paychecks would be far from a windfall for Ohioans. A person making $60,000 a year, and claiming one dependent, would receive an additional $1.10 a week through a reduction in income tax-withholding rates, according to the Ohio Department of Taxation.

Gov. John Kasich�s proposal to give taxpayers a few more bucks in their paychecks would be far from a windfall for Ohioans.

A person making $60,000 a year, and claiming one dependent, would receive an additional $1.10 a week through a reduction in income tax-withholding rates, according to the Ohio Department of Taxation.

In his State of the State address last week, Kasich called for reducing withholding percentages to fully reflect the most recent 6.3 percent income tax to accelerate the return of $146 million to taxpayers.

It is not a tax cut, but rather a swap. About 4.25 million tax filers, including joint-filing couples, would receive a bit more money in their paychecks, but on the other end would get correspondingly smaller tax refunds.

And, the near 700,000 who have to pay when filing their returns, all other things being equal, would write a bigger check to the state, taxation officials said.

The second-term Republican�s proposal would translate into 15 cents more a week for a low-wage $17,500-a-year earner and 40 cents more for a person making $30,000 annually.

At the top end, a $90,000 annual income would see $1.88 extra each week and a person making $150,000 would pocket $3.93 a week.

In his speech in Marietta, Kasich called for �legislation to let Ohioans keep more of their hard-earned money by accelerating the benefits of income tax cuts we passed last year. There�s no reason to wait. The money�s there ... Just move it up, so the people have more money in their pocket.�

Legislative leaders, including Kasich�s fellow Republicans, did not sound enthusiastic about the proposal, which would cost the state $146 million in the first year before becoming a wash in later years.

�Each and every year, the governor has looked at strategies to reduce taxes and put more money in the pockets of all Ohioans,� said Kasich spokesman Joe Andrews. �We now have the ability to be on a constant lookout for new ways to provide tax relief. It�s shortsighted to look at individual tax cuts or reforms in isolation, because on the whole Ohio has cut taxes each and every year � totaling $5 billion since 2011.�

Seventy-eight percent of Ohioans pay income taxes through employer withholding, with most others paying quarterly or annually. Ohio generates nearly $9 billion a year in income taxes.

According to 2013 figures, the latest available, average annual Ohio income as reported on tax returns was $56,978. Delaware County was the highest in the state at $94,144. Franklin County was eighth at $62,066.

Kasich and Republican lawmakers have whittled away at income taxes in a series of cuts since 2011. Rates have dropped 66 percent, or $305 a year, for a single parent with two children earning $30,000 a year. A couple with two children and making $73,000 annually are paying $290, or 16 percent, less in income taxes. At $100,000 in income, taxes have dropped $465, or 15 percent.

Opponents have argued the money should have been invested in moves to upgrade K-12 education and assist the impoverished and local communities.

rludlow@dispatch.com

@RandyLudlow