Biden proposes a 3-month federal gas tax holiday. Ohio’s gas tax to remain in place – By Jessie Balmert (Cincinnati Enquirer) / June 22, 2022
President Joe Biden asked Congress to suspend the federal gas tax for three months as prices at the pumps soar, but don’t expect Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to follow suit.
The current federal tax is 18.4 cents per gallon for gas and 24.4 cents for diesel. Biden wants to waive those fees for three months, a loss of about $10 billion. He asked state and local officials to offer gas tax holidays, too.
But DeWine, a Republican, has consistently opposed suspending or repealing Ohio’s gas tax, which is currently 38.5 cents for gas and 47 cents for diesel. Ohio’s gas tax is among the highest in the nation, but still lower than neighbors Pennsylvania and Indiana.
In 2019, DeWine pushed for a 10.5-cent increase in the state’s tax on gas and a 19-cent increase on diesel. With the help of then-House Speaker Larry Householder, the tax hike easily passed the GOP-controlled Legislature.
