Vivek Ramaswamy Proposes 90-Day Ohio Gas Tax Holiday

Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is pushing for a 90-day suspension of Ohio's 38.5-cent gasoline and 47-cent diesel taxes to lower costs for families and businesses. The proposal, estimated to cost between $600 million and $700 million, has also been supported by Democratic candidate Amy Acton, who was the first to publicly call for an emergency holiday.

Ramaswamy suggests covering the revenue loss using the General Revenue Fund, the state's rainy-day fund, and reserves from the Ohio Department of Transportation. House Speaker Matt Huffman asserts that the state has sufficient funds to support the measure without compromising road maintenance. However, the Office of Budget and Management cautioned that the Highway Operating Fund is already committed to $5 billion in open purchase orders and that most general revenue surpluses are already allocated.

Governor Mike DeWine, who previously described such suspensions as a "grave disservice" due to their impact on infrastructure, has requested a full proposal and data from the Department of Transportation before making a decision. While the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and the Ohio Conference of Teamsters endorse the plan, the County Engineers Association of Ohio warned that any reduction in local tax distributions must be replaced dollar-for-dollar to avoid disrupting bridge and road repairs. Republican leaders intend to force a legislative vote on the measure by September 30.