CLEVELAND — Many of you have been calling News 5 recently to ask what's going on with gas prices. After climbing to more than $4 a few weeks ago, you were hopeful that a newly signed gas tax holiday would alleviate the pain at the pump, and it did, but not for long.
The average gas price in Ohio right now is $4.37/gallon. So what's the deal? What happened to the tax holiday?
WATCH THE STORY:
MORE THAN 160 COMPLAINTS FILED
We’ve just obtained a complaint list from the Ohio Attorney General's Office of people reporting that some gas stations aren't following the no-tax-on-gas law recently passed, which is supposed to pass the savings on to you.
We saw driver Bradley Vasyliev outside of one of the gas stations in question.
“What do you think about these gas price?” we asked.
“I think it’s insane,” he replied.
He also said that just trying to get by is tough for many people right now.
“Everything’s going up. Inflation is real,” said Vasyliev. “A lot of people are struggling.”
As of Monday, the AG’s gas tax complaint list contained more than 160 submissions from around Ohio. Many of them the Office now labels as ”resolved,” but there are still many active complaints, including a dozen gas stations in Northeast Ohio
'PASS ENTIRE TAX SAVINGS TO CONSUMERS'
The Ohio Department of Taxation clearly states gas stations are "legally required...to pass the entire tax savings directly to consumers at the pump" until Jan. 2.
We went to several local stations from Broadview Heights to East Cleveland and Cleveland, asking each about the complaints filed against them.
They all said the manager or owner wasn’t in, but they would have them call us.
GOVERNOR SAYS OH HAS DONE WHAT IT CAN
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said the gas tax holiday is working, but some retailers will ignore the law. He said it's sometimes hard for customers to see the savings, but the tax break is all Ohio can do.
“These prices are caused by prices beyond the power of the governor or the legislature or anybody in Ohio to really deal with,” said Gov. DeWine.
Many factors go into prices, like supply, how gas is made, the type of fuel, natural disasters and more. So, even with a gas tax holiday, prices might not look much different.
It's important to note that the complaints are allegations. They're not proof that the stations haven't followed the law.
During our gas station visits, we left our contact info. One station, Ohio Gas, called us to say it filed the paperwork response with the Ohio Attorney General's office.
Vasyliev said that if any station is ignoring the rules, it should be held accountable.
“I think if they don’t follow the law they should be punished according to the law,” he told us.
YOU CAN FILE A COMPLAINT
If you suspect a gas station isn't following the law, you can file a complaint with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office by CLICKING HERE or calling 800-282-0515.
The News 5 Investigators are always actively listening to your consumer concerns. If you have something you’d like me to investigate, feel free to reach out via email: Jonathan.Walsh@WEWS.com or call our Investigator Tip Line: 216-431-HELP (4357).
