Soon after the small refinery had been completed, a tax was anticipated to be imposed by the U S Government on imported crude. Standard of Indiana had only marketing outlets in the United States and knew they could not compete when selling imported oil that had been burdened with a toll, so they sold all their holdings to Standard Oil of New Jersey, who had marketing outlets around the world.
Following the completion of the small refinery, the anticipated imposition of a tax by the U.S. Government on imported crude oil led to a strategic decision by Standard of Indiana. They chose to sell their assets to Standard Oil of New Jersey, which already possessed global marketing capabilities.