To enact section 9.18 of the Revised Code to require that cash payments to the state and local governments be rounded to the nearest nickel.
HB737 would add a new section to the Ohio Revised Code requiring cash payments made to the state, state agencies, and political subdivisions to be rounded to the nearest five cents. The bill defines how amounts ending in 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, and 8-9 are to be rounded, and it specifies that the government must accept the rounded cash amount as payment in full. The measure applies to taxes, tolls, fees, fines, and other charges paid in cash, and it includes the amount of any tax collected at the same time as a transaction in the “final price.”
The bill also authorizes merchants who accept cash to round cash transactions in the same way without liability, notwithstanding contrary provisions of the Revised Code. For transactions involving state or local taxes, merchants would adjust the tax remitted to the state or political subdivision to reflect the rounding, with the adjustment allocated proportionately among the taxing entities based on their respective tax rates. In practical terms, the bill would standardize nickel rounding for cash payments and provide a statutory basis for handling fractional-cent cash amounts in government-related transactions.
The bill’s impact would be to change how cash payments are processed for public charges and certain merchant transactions tied to state or local taxes. It would affect state agencies, local governments, taxpayers, and merchants that accept cash, while leaving non-cash payments unaffected. The measure would also create a clear legal rule for rounding and tax remittance, reducing the need to handle pennies in cash collections.
The available context suggests the bill was introduced and referred to the House Ways and Means Committee, but no votes or committee transcripts are provided. As a result, there is no recorded debate or formal vote history in the supplied materials to indicate strong support or opposition. The overall sentiment cannot be measured from the record, though the bill’s straightforward administrative purpose suggests it is primarily a technical or convenience measure rather than a controversial policy change.
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Potential issues, if raised in committee, could involve how rounding affects taxpayers, merchants, and the allocation of tax revenue among state and local governments, but those concerns are not reflected in the available discussion or voting record.
HB737 would create a new statutory rule in the Revised Code governing cash rounding for payments to the state, state agencies, and political subdivisions. It would require acceptance of rounded cash amounts as payment in full, authorize merchants to round cash transactions without liability, and direct how tax remittances are adjusted and allocated when rounding occurs on taxable transactions. The bill would primarily affect cash-paying individuals, merchants, and public entities that collect taxes, fees, fines, tolls, or similar charges.
The bill appears to have a neutral-to-practical administrative character based on the text and the limited context provided. It was introduced and referred to the House Ways and Means Committee, but no votes or committee testimony are available, so there is no documented public support or opposition in the supplied record. The measure seems aimed at simplifying cash handling rather than advancing a broader ideological policy agenda.
No explicit contention is shown in the provided materials because there are no committee transcripts or votes. If concerns were to arise, they would likely center on the fairness of rounding for cash payers, the effect on revenue collection, and the mechanics of allocating rounded tax amounts between the state and local governments. However, those issues are not documented in the record supplied here.