OSCPA September Town Hall recap

By Jessica Barboza, OSCPA content specialist  

Economic development remains a driving force behind Ohio’s growth and competitiveness, with Ohio ranking as the 7th largest workforce in the United States. 

That theme took center stage at the Sept. 25 Town Hall, where President and CEO Laura Hay, CPA, CAE, welcomed Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, former Ohio State football coach, for a conversation on the state’s economic momentum. 

Around 63 businesses have come to Ohio to either plant a business or expand a business, Tressel said, crediting much of the state’s opportunity to the creation of JobsOhio. “Right now, in Ohio, we have so many opportunities coming our way,” Tressel said. 

And behind every thriving organization, whether on the field or in the marketplace, there’s one role that’s indispensable: the accountant. “You can’t have a good team without a good accountant,” Tressel said. 

As young people are coming up through their education process and realizing the extraordinary opportunities there are in fields like accounting, it’s important to make them aware of the multitude of pathways that people who can equip themselves with skills and rigor can take.  

To his players who were trying to figure out what they wanted to major in, Tressel said they had to be willing to do the hard thing.  

“Just like you trained on the field, you had to do the hard practices and the conditioning and get in the weight room--that’s what you’ve got to be willing to do to get into accounting,” he said. “You’ve got to be willing to feel excited and feel good about doing the real hard thing. We used to always say, ‘choose hard.’” 

Tressel said to help the CPA pipeline, professionals must: 

• Realize when young people have got great potential 
• Get them trained up 
• Get them staying here to be a part of this great team 

Ohio is investing a lot into that, he said, especially with regional awareness campaigns. “We’re really trying to bang the drum that there are so many opportunities in every region of our state, and we need you to become part of that team.” 

Around Ohio 

This town hall also marked the return of the Around Ohio series, a snapshot into economic development in Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, Southeast and Central Ohio: 

• Northwest Ohio: 63 new business expansions/relocations; strong job growth in manufacturing and logistics. 
• Northeast Ohio: Rise in health care and tech sector employment; increased venture funding for startups. 
• Central Ohio: Population growth continues; record number of new small businesses registered.
• Southwest Ohio: Expansion of finance, aviation, and distribution companies; unemployment rates remain low.
• Southeast Ohio: Investments in energy projects and small businesses; regional revitalization initiatives underway. 

Government Relations and statewide economic update 

Ohio’s economy has been resilient, performing slightly above the national average, Hay said. Ohio GDP growth is projected at ~1% in 2025 compared to 2.8% nationally. 

“Nationally, the state’s economic outlook remains cautiously optimistic, supported by strategic investments in infrastructure, workforce development and innovation, which, with a goal of fostering economic stability and long-term growth, we can say that it has been a net importer of talent,” she said. 

International immigration has been a large part of that, she added, with an influx of skilled immigrated, particularly in high productivity sectors, such as technology and health care. 

Ohio has also become a net importer of college students, attracting more students from other states to enroll in Ohio colleges and universities than Ohio residents leaving the state to attend college elsewhere, Hay said. 

On Sept. 22, Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Dept. of Children and Youth Director Kara Wente announced the launch of the Childcare Cred Program, a $10 million program to make childcare more affordable for working families while helping Ohio businesses strengthen their workforce. Applications are due May 1, 2026, with funding available through June 30, 2026. See the news release for more information. 

Additional updates and reminders: 

• Ohio became the 15th state to eliminate graduated income tax bracket in favor of a flat rate model, moving from 3.5% to 2.75% on non-business income.
• The Ohio Department of Taxation recently issued new employer withholding tables for payrolls that end on or after October 1, 2025. The Ohio legislature adjusted withholding to limit revenue loss; workers will only see ~20% of income tax cuts in paychecks. The rest will be reflected in refunds.
• California passed a new pathway to CPA licensure, making it the 22nd state to do so. See the Minnesota Society of CPAs’ map to keep track of pathways legislation nationwide. 
• The federal government will stop issuing paper checks for most payments by the end of September.
• The IRS proposed regulations on the no-tax-on-tips provision and requests comments from the public to made on them by Oct. 23. 
• 529 plans have expanded and can now be used for professional certifications, such as CPA exams.