Ohio motorists will pay an additional tax of 10.5-cents per gallon of gas and 19-cents per gallon of diesel, beginning July 1, under a deal struck Tuesday by state lawmakers and Gov. Mike DeWine. The agreement breaks an impasse over the two-year, $7.4 billion transportation budget bill that caused lawmakers to blow a March 31 deadline to have legislation signed into law.
The additional gasoline tax, which will raise an extra $693 million a year, is expected to cost a motorist who drives 15,000 miles a year and gets 25 miles per gallon an extra $63 per year.
The House and Senate are expected to vote on the final deal later this evening.
Lawmakers rejected a request by DeWine to index the gas tax to inflation, allowing it to climb each year without legislative approval.
The state gas tax, which is currently 28-cents per gallon, was last increased in 2005. Each penny raises about $66 million a year for the Ohio Department of Transportation. The Ohio Constitution mandates that motor fuel tax revenue only be used on maintenance and construction of roads and bridges.
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