A group of sex liberal governors is sounding the call to congressional lawmakers to pause the federal gas tax of 18.3 cents in efforts to try and reduce the strain of the sailing gas prices for Americans.
The governors, five of whom are going to be up for re-election in the upcoming midterms elections, are Jared Polis of Colorado, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, Tim Waltz of Minnesota, Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania, and Tony Evers of Wisconsin, all of whom are members of the Democratic party.
“At a time when people are directly impacted by rising prices on everyday goods, a federal gas tax holiday is a tool in the toolbox to reduce costs for Americans, and we urge you to give every consideration to this proposed legislation,” claimed the governors this past week in a document sent out to Senate and House leadership.
Just last month, Democratic senators put forth the new Gax Tax Relief Act, which would temporarily suspend the collection of the federal gas tax out until the first of January, 2023, but as of yet has not had any action taken yet
Also, this group of six governors has not taken any actions to help reduce any tax burdens on their constituents. “According to the Federation of Tax Administrators, Pennsylvania tacks on 57.6 cents per gallon — the highest state gas tax in the US. Wisconsin adds 30.9 cents per gallon to pump prices, Minnesota has a 28.5-cent-per-gallon tax, Michigan’s gas tax stands at 27.2 cents per gallon, Colorado adds 22 cents to every gallon, and New Mexico adds 17 cents,” stated a report from the New York Post.
All the while, two other states have issued their own brand of tax relief, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, both of whom are Republicans, officially signed legislation for their states this past Friday seeking to suspend the tax on gas at the state-level. The law from Maryland puts a temporary suspension on the state’s tax on gas for 30 days, while the one from Georgia is planning to suspend the tax out through the 31st of May.
“This bipartisan action will provide some relief from the pain at the pump and it is possible because of the prudent fiscal steps we have taken, which have resulted in a record budget surplus,” stated Hogan. “This is, of course, not a cure-all, and market instability will continue to lead to fluctuations in prices, but we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to provide relief for Marylanders.”
Kemp put forth a video announcement for the legislation via Twitter on Friday. “The average price of a gallon of gas has increased from $2.69 to $4.28 since March of 2021, a 59% increase, and researchers are now estimating that the average American household could spend an average of $2,000 more per year because of increased fuel cost and sky-high inflation,” exclaimed Kemp. “While some of the more recent price hikes are due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Georgians also know that Washington, D.C., policies and politics were driving inflation to record highs well before Putin’s despicable actions.”
Kemp blamed the Biden admin for the shutting down of domestic energy and spiking inflation while trying to shirk the fallout for their actions and throw away the blame, and then went on to highlight the pro-business and small government environment in Georgia. “Today, I signed HB 304, to temporarily halt collection of the state gas tax, and ease the burden consumers are feeling at the pump,” Stated Kemp. “We can’t fix everything that Washington has broken, but we are doing our part to lessen the impact on your wallet.”