Ohio diners won't get a break this year during the state's annual sales tax holiday.
After being included in an expanded list of exempt items for 2025, dine-in restaurant meals were cut out of the annual sales-tax suspension by state lawmakers and Gov. Mike DeWine for 2026. Ohio's shortened list of tax breaks will be in effect for a shorter period of time this year, too.
The sales tax holiday will go into effect Aug. 7 to 9, compared to a two-week observance during 2025.
John Barker, president and CEO of the Ohio Restaurant & Hospitality Alliance, said the exclusion of dining-out tabs from this year's list of tax breaks is a disappointment to restaurant owners, too. But language in a budget-correction bill passed by the Ohio General Assembly in June
calls for a two-week holiday in 2027 that is expected to include sit-down meals once again.
"It's very important at this time with the economy," Barker said.
Sales tax rates in Ohio – imposed by state government with additional levies added in each county – range in the Columbus area from 6.75% in parts of Fairfield County to 8.25% in parts of Licking County. Franklin County's sales-tax rate is 8%.
The sales tax holiday, originally created as a weekend-long break on purchases of school clothes and supplies, is back to those basics this year. It applies only to items of clothing that are $75 or less, school supplies that are $20 or less and instructional materials that cost $20 or less, according to the Ohio Department of Taxation.
Follow Dispatch dining reporter Bob Vitale on Instagram at @dispatchdining. You can reach him directly at rvitale@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio lawmakers cut restaurants out of state's 2026 sales tax holiday
