Reps. David Thomas & Joe Miller Introduce Bill to Eliminate Extra Registration Fee for Hybrid Vehicles
State Representatives David Thomas (R-Jefferson) and Joe Miller (D-Amherst) introduced legislation that would eliminate the extra vehicle registration fee on hybrid vehicles. The additional $100 fee the duo hope to eliminate is charged to those Ohio drivers who have a hybrid car and is paid during registration of the vehicle or renewal.
The lawmakers introduced H.B. 389 to remove the additional hybrid charge on those drivers, reversing current Ohio law which treats hybrid vehicle owners differently than traditional gas-powered or plug in electric car owners.
“This is a taxpayer fairness idea,” said Representative David Thomas. “We should be treating folks as fairly as possible, just because you have a hybrid or plug-in doesn’t mean you use less gas and I don’t think you should pay much higher fees for it.”
Under current Ohio law the owner of a traditional hybrid vehicle pays an additional $100 a year in registration fees, while plug-in hybrid vehicles pay $150 and electric vehicles are charged an additional $200. HB 389 does not change the plug in or all electric vehicle charges, but would remove the traditional hybrid fee.
“Although they may improve fuel economy, the gas tax combined with the elevated registration fee puts an undue and unfair burden on the owners of these vehicles,” Representative Joe Miller said. “This bill is about leveling the playing field and ensuring an equitable fee structure.”
Thomas explained that the fees were put in place during the last gas tax increase in 2019 as a means to offset the lower gas tax paid by vehicles that were partly electric vs all gas consumption cars. “I understand the logic, but the reality is those with hybrids are doubling paying. They pay on the gas tax side and they pay extra for registration fees, it is not right especially when now, most cars are some form of a hybrid vehicle,” said Representative David Thomas.
An example of the numbers can be seen by an average driver with average fuel efficiency. Ohio’s gas tax is $.0385 per gallon. Someone driving 12,000 miles a year at 30 miles per gallon would pay about $154 in state gas tax. A hybrid driver traveling that same 12,000 miles in a year would pay the $100 additional registration fee plus the state gas tax, leading to what Thomas calls double taxation.
Miller has sponsored legislation in the past that removed part or the whole aspect of the additional fees for non-traditional vehicles, but those bills did not become law. The lawmakers are hoping for a better reception in this General Assembly.