Ehler Quoted in Toledo Blade Story on Ohio Senate Bill 475, Gas Tax Holiday

Tony Ehler, a partner in the Vorys Columbus office and chair of the firm’s probate and tax group, was quoted in a Toledo Blade story titled “Ohio retailers object to gas tax holiday bill's consumer protections.”  The story focuses on Ohio Senate Bill 475, which would create a 90-day reduction of Ohio’s gas and diesel taxes.

Ehler, speaking before the Ohio Senate General Government Committee, said that language aiming to ensure those benefits reach customers would potentially create losses for retailers that sell fuel at low margins.  He also argued that the industry model — where retailers buy gas or diesel based on futures or contracts — will create scenarios where retailers will struggle to prove their pricing satisfies the protections in S.B. 475.

“I don’t know how that’s going to be possible to enforce,” Mr. Ehler said. “But this legislation imposes strict liability. This says when the [Ohio Department of Taxation] and the [Ohio Attorney General’s Office] thinks that a retailer hasn’t passed along the value, it’s a deceptive practice...fraud.”

Click here to read the full story on the Toledo Blade’s website. (Subscription may be required).