Ohio gas taxes will see a temporary suspension; Michigan has not yet made such a move

Southeast Michigan drivers often notice a difference in retail gas prices between Ohio and Michigan when traveling across the state line.  

That difference is likely to widen after Ohio's temporary gas tax holiday takes effect this weekend. 

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill 519 on Thursday, legislation that includes a 90-day reduction in fuel taxes starting on Sunday. The law requires retailers to pass "the full benefit of the reduced rate of tax" to consumers. This picks up on a trend seen across the country in recent weeks, as the Associated Press reports that about one-third of U.S. states have invoked some form of fuel tax relief through suspending taxes, reducing taxes, or issuing specific rule updates. 

Ohio's tax suspension is for 38.5 cents per gallon to gasoline and 47 cents per gallon to diesel, money that normally goes to the state of Ohio's general fund for roads and bridges, AP says. 

Michigan currently collects 52.4 cents per gallon in gasoline taxes, most of which goes to state and local roads and public transportation. Michigan Sen. Kevin Hertel, D-St. Clair Shores, introduced a Senate bill last week that is intended to open discussion on gas taxes. Senate Bill 1187 was referred to the finance, insurance, and consumer protection committee; no further action has been taken.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer told CBS Detroit on Thursday that she would prefer to see federal taxes pulled back rather than state taxes. 

"We'll continue to look at other ways that maybe we can give people relief. But I'm not going to weigh in on something that may or may not ever see my desk," Whitmer said. 

One step that Michigan did take, with Whitmer's sign-off, was to pull back on the requirement for a more expensive "summer blend" of gasoline this year in Metro Detroit. The reformulated summer gas rules were introduced in 1996 to reduce smog-causing emissions.  

While that step didn't cause Metro Detroit gasoline prices to drop, it did prevent them from rising another 10 to 20 cents a gallon during the summer months. 

As CBS News reported this spring, suspending or changing the federal 18.4-cent gas tax or 24.3-cent diesel tax would require an act of Congress. The federal gas tax has not been suspended since the establishment of the Highway Trust Fund in 1956.