Following today's announcement from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost that his office was soliciting public comments regarding advertising practices from online search engines, the nonpartisan National Taxpayers Union (NTU) cautioned that many Ohioans are likely to see this as a waste of both time and tax dollars. NTU President Pete Sepp offered the following statement:
"Attorney General Yost could save the taxpayers of Ohio a great deal of time, trouble, and money by taking a look at the results of our recent poll on voters' attitudes toward antitrust investigations. By margins of two or even three to one, respondents across the political spectrum agreed that given the strain of coronavirus on the state budget, going after tech companies is a low or no priority for state government. Attorney General Yost has stood up for taxpayers so many times in the past; here's hoping he will do so again on this issue.
Taxpaying voters have already spoken out about the duties they feel their Attorney General should pursue during this economic and public health crisis, and going on fishing expeditions against tech companies barely registers on the list. Prosecuting criminals, protecting consumers against price gouging, or putting a stop to human trafficking are far, far more important to Ohioans. It's time for Attorneys General across the country to recognize that harsh antitrust actions against American companies, whether in tech, manufacturing, or services, can work to undermine the economy. Especially now, this is a risk that consumers and taxpayers cannot afford."
For more than 25 years, NTU has been concerned about the impact that heavy-handed antitrust policies can have on taxpayers. Click here for more information, including details on the NTU poll of 600 likely Ohio general election voters taken in May.