Photo: WEWS.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine rejected a proposal to suspend the state’s gas tax as prices statewide hit or near $5.
He said Ohio House Rep. Ty Mathews, R-Findlay, has talked to several colleagues and they are considering a possible three-month pause on the state’s motor fuel tax.
The tax is $0.385 per gallon for gasoline and $0.47 per gallon for diesel fuel.
“It’s not a tax issue that one part of the population feels; it’s felt by the majority of people, not the pump,” Mathews said.
“They will start to feel it at the checkout when they pay for goods.”
He added that there are many trucking companies operating in northwest Ohio, which makes their job much more hard.
“I hope that the crisis in Iran will end, hopefully soon, and this is just a temporary band-aid,” he said.
Marathon, the largest oil company, is based in his district. He added that he had not discussed his idea with them.
DeWine opposes the plan, arguing that tax dollars are necessary to maintain and build roads, highways and bridges, as well as repair potholes.
“We like to have good roads and we like to be able to drive. We also know that huge potholes can have a real impact on a car,” DeWine said.
The money the state receives from the tax is needed, and due to inflation, those dollars are currently 30% less effective than they were in 2020, the governor said.
“I think suspending the user tax, which it is, would be a very serious disservice to Ohioans, and I think Ohioans would feel the pain of it in the coming months as the condition of our roads deteriorates.”
Mathews wondered what good a gas tax was for road work if no one drove because prices were so high.
“Obviously there will be some opposition to ODOT. It’s only at the end of the day that we wonder, are we doing the right thing?” he said. “At least this will show Ohioans that we are trying to do something for them.”
But he added he was willing to negotiate with the governor to find some relief.
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DeWine was asked if he thought the Iran war and gas prices could negatively impact Republicans in the upcoming election.
After constant back and forth, during which he avoided answering, he finally said yes.
“The economy always — the economy that includes inflation, that includes employment — is always a huge factor in any election,” DeWine responded. “That’s always a huge, huge factor.”
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This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and are published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication on other news outlets because it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.
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