Ohio lawmakers approved a temporary suspension of the state’s gas tax at the request of two gubernatorial candidates locked in a tight race focused on affordability.
Legislators approved spending more than $725 million in taxpayer dollars to ease drivers’ pain at the gas pump, and Gov. Mike DeWine signed the gas tax suspension into law.
House Bill 519, which passed with GOP and Democratic support, would suspend Ohio’s 38.5 cents-per-gallon gas tax and 47 cents-per-gallon diesel tax, reducing them to virtually zero for 90 days. The change would save the average driver about $80 around the elections and the holidays, though estimates vary.
The last-minute legislation was passed 10 days after Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton pitched a gas tax holiday and Republican Vivek Ramaswamy announced his own plan hours later. Ramaswamy’s pitch had more details and support from Ohio’s GOP-controlled Legislature.
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