One state lawmaker wants to incentivize gym rats, newbies and every Ohio gym-goer in between, including those who right now exercise infrequently.
Sen. Al Cutrona (R-Canfield) is proposing the state establish a personal income tax deduction for gym and other personal training costs that total $1,500 or less annually, in Senate Bill 89. Cutrona has introduced an amendment that would tack on a related tax credit, at $100 per single person or $200 per joint filing.
His idea came from concern with the state’s higher-than-average obesity rate, he said. More than 38% of Ohio adults were considered obese in 2022, according to Legislative Service Commission data.
“There is a big movement, I think, of people wanting to be healthier. Whether it’s from (U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.), regardless of which, whatever aisle you’re on, I think people just want to be healthier,” Cutrona said in an interview Wednesday. “Let’s address a low-hanging fruit, which is exercising and being physically fit.”
In his first-floor Statehouse office, he has a stack of printed out emails sitting on his desk, including from gyms who he said are praising the idea already.
Two Democratic lawmakers on the Ohio Senate Ways and Means committee voiced concerns about costs at SB 89’s first hearing Tuesday.
Sen. Bill DeMora (D-Columbus) said while he liked the general theory, he wondered if $1,500 would inadvertently encourage gyms and athletic clubs to push their prices higher. As for costing the state more, Cutrona said healthier Ohioans would result in lower care costs.
“It’ll be a win for the state of Ohio, a win for employers because insurance rates should drop if people are healthier, and frankly, who doesn't want to feel healthier walking the streets?” he said.
LSC is still determining how much it would potentially cost the state.
