Don’t Forget That Ohio’s 10.5-Cent Gas Tax Increase Starts Today

Ohio’s gas tax increase goes into effect today, raising the tax to 10.5 cents per gallon of gas and 19 cents per gallon of diesel — clearly surprising a bunch of folks who don’t pay attention to the news.

Gov. Mike DeWine approved the increase as part of a transportation budget in April that was supported 70-27 in the House and 22-10 in the Senate.

The most recent gas tax increase in Ohio was in 2005, which brought the tax to 28 cents per gallon.

The revenue made from gas taxes can only be used on construction and maintenance efforts on roads and bridges, as stated in the Ohio Constitution. This revenue, which is estimated at an additional $865 million after the increase, will be split 55/45 between state and local governments. Meanwhile, it is estimated to cost each driver roughly $63 more per year.

However, the gas tax probably won’t lead to an automatic increase in gas prices, Patrick DeHaan from GasBuddy.com told cleveland.com. Instead, he expects prices to rise due to regional trends then decrease again, remaining at a higher floor. Therefore, the tax will hit folks harder than it would have if put into place during the winter months. Gas prices tend to rise during spring and peak during summer, with prices averaging 35 cents higher in August than in January, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Ohio’s 28-cent gas tax is lower than most surrounding states, as seen below:
Pennsylvania: 58.7 cents/gallon
Michigan: 44.1 cents/gallon
Indiana: 42.9 cents/gallon
West Virginia: 35.7 cents/gallon
Kentucky: 26 cents/ gallon

Ohio is one of 12 states increasing its gas tax today, and it is the second largest increase, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Indiana’s gas tax will rise by 0.5 cents and Michigan’s will rise by 0.1 cents. These gas taxes will adjust each year to match inflation, but Ohio’s will not, which was requested by DeWine but rejected by Ohio’s legislators.

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This article appears in Jun 26 – Jul 2, 2019.