Ohio lawmakers propose suspending state gas tax, as DeWine opposes it

Amid rising gas prices, an Ohio lawmaker suggested suspending the state’s gas tax, but the idea received a cold reception from Republican Gov. Mike DeWine.

State Rep. Ty Mathews, R-Findlay, told News 5 Cleveland that he and other lawmakers in the Buckeye State have been discussing possibly enforcing a break from the state’s motor fuel tax for three months. The news source reported that the tax is 38.5 cents per gallon for gasoline and 47 cents per gallon for diesel.

“It’s not just a tax where one portion of the population feels that; most people are feeling this, not the pump,” Mathews said, according to News 5 Cleveland. “They’re going to start feeling it at the counter when they’re paying for goods.”

Matthews also brought up trucking companies in Northwest Ohio, saying that the recent spike in gas prices made it harder for them. He also said that he hopes that the war in Iran will “hopefully” end soon and that this is “just a temporary Band-Aid” for the recent problem with high gas prices.

DeWine, however, rejected this idea, even though gas prices have hit $5 per gallon in Ohio, saying that keeping the tax is important because the state needs it to maintain, construct, and fix roads, highways, bridges, and potholes, according to the news source.

“We like to have good roads, and we like to be able to drive, and we also know that when we have huge holes in our roads, that can have a real impact on your car,” he said, adding that, due to inflation, those dollars are 30% less effective now than in 2020, the news source reported.

“I think it would be a very grave disservice to the people of the state of Ohio to suspend that user tax, which is really what it is, and I think Ohioans would feel the pain of that in the months ahead, as our roads deteriorate,” he said, according to News 5 Cleveland.

Mathews, however, pointed out that nobody would care about the quality of the roads if no one used them because of high gas prices, telling News 5 Cleveland that there will be some pushback from the Ohio Department of Transportation.

“At the end of the day, are we doing the right thing?” he said. “This, at least, will show the people of Ohio that we are trying to do something for them.”

Matthews told News 5 Cleveland that he is willing to negotiate with DeWine on the issue.

News 5 Cleveland asked DeWine if he thinks that the war in Iran and the gas prices could negatively affect Republicans in the upcoming elections, and he said that it could be the case.

“The economy is always — the economy, which includes inflation, which includes employment — is always a huge factor in any election,” DeWine told the news source. “It’s always a huge, huge factor.”

For a typical driver in Ohio, suspending the gas tax would save about 38.5 cents per gallon on gasoline and 47 cents on diesel.

If the proposal is enforced, a person who fills up a 15-gallon tank would save approximately $5.78 per fill-up. If an average driver uses 500 gallons per year, they would save approximately $48 over three months.

The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis reported that Ohio collects approximately $650 to 730 million per quarter in motor fuels tax revenue, or about $2.6 to 2.8 billion annually.

According to the Tax Foundation, Michigan has a $0.482-per-gallon gas tax, Indiana has a $0.545-per-gallon gas tax, Kentucky has a $0.264-per-gallon gas tax, Pennsylvania has a $0.587-per-gallon gas tax, and West Virginia has a $0.357-per-gallon gas tax.

Florida has a $0.394-per-gallon gas tax, California has a $0.709-per-gallon gas tax, Texas has a $0.20-per-gallon gas tax, and New York has a $0.249-per-gallon gas tax.