Gas Tax Fund

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   Did anyone else see an article in the MJ paper the other day concerning an Ohio court ruling the a municipality can't spend the Auto & Gas fund on anything other than roads?  When I later went to find the article online I couldn't.

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Stanky Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Resident Joined: Jul 04 2011 Status: Offline Points: 193	Post Options Post Reply Quote Stanky Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Gas Tax Fund Posted: Dec 09 2012 at 7:01pm
	Did anyone else see an article in the MJ paper the other day concerning an Ohio court ruling the a municipality can't spend the Auto & Gas fund on anything other than roads? When I later went to find the article online I couldn't.

Wots Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Resident Joined: Mar 18 2009 Status: Offline Points: 94	Post Options Post Reply Quote Wots Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Dec 09 2012 at 9:04pm
	Not from MJ. Is this the one? http://www.ohio.com/news/politics/state/ohio-supreme-court-rejects-nonhighway-use-of-fuel-taxes-1.356502 Published: December 8, 2012 - 06:31 PM December 08,2012 11:31 PM GMTAndrew Welsh-HugginsAssociated Press COLUMBUS: Taking money collected on gasoline sales by the state’s updated business tax and spending it on anything but highway-related programs is unconstitutional, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Friday as it accepted arguments that the tax is wrongly diverting $140 million annually from fuel sales to nonroadwork accounts for schools and cities.
	Wots Liberalism: Moochers Electing Looters to Steal from Producers.

409 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Prominent MUSA Citizen Joined: Mar 27 2009 Status: Offline Points: 1014	Post Options Post Reply Quote 409 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Dec 09 2012 at 9:08pm
	From the MJ: Sat Dec 8 RULING Ohio court limits use of fuel tax Gas tax funds must be spent on highway-related programs. ByAndrewWelsh-Huggins Associated Press COLUMBUS — Taking money collected on gasoline sales by the state’s updated business tax and spending it on anything but highway-related programs is unconstitutional, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Friday as it accepted arguments that the tax is wrongly diverting $140 million annually from fuel sales to non-roadwork accounts for schools and cities. Builders, contractors, construction companies and engineers had sued over the tax, claiming that Ohio voters have repeatedly rejected the notion of diverting taxes raised from fuel sales to non-road work. The court said in a 6-1 decision that the Commercial Activity Tax can still be applied to companies that make money selling fuel, but it can’t be diverted into the state fund that pays for everything from schools to prisons to health care for the poor. The court came to a similar conclusion three years ago in a lawsuit brought by grocers over the tax’s application to grocery store food sales. However, that decision didn’t deal with how the tax proceeds could be spent. The Ohio Constitution “explicitly prohibits the expenditure of revenue derived from excises on motor-vehicle fuel for any purpose other than highway purposes,” Justice Robert Cupp wrote for the majority. The state can still collect the money but can’t spend it until the General Assembly passes a law adjusting what it can be constitutionally used for, Cupp added. The office of Gov. John Kasich, which must produce a balanced two-year budget early next year, is reviewing the decision, said spokesman Rob Nichols. Groups opposed to the tax argued the Ohio constitution bars money raised from the sale of fuel from being used on anything but highway upkeep. “The diversion of any of these excise taxes undermines the will of the people to preserve the Motor-Vehicle-Fuel-related excise tax base for public road repair and construction,” Anthony Ehler, an attorney representing both construction companies and county engineers whose budgets rely on fuel taxes, said in a March 20 court filing. Edited by 409 - Dec 09 2012 at 9:17pm

VietVet Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Council Joined: May 15 2008 Status: Offline Points: 7008	Post Options Post Reply Quote VietVet Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Dec 10 2012 at 5:59am
	Nick Kidd has been reminding us (and the city gov. people in his run for office) of this for years. He has asked repeatedly where the money has gone without receiving an answer. The city leaders have some explaining to do as to why they were breaking the law all this time.......but they won't, as they believe they do not owe any explanations to the people who supplied the money.
	I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over.