Maryland and Georgia have stopped collecting gas taxes to provide relief to Americans who are forced to pay more with pumps due to rising fuel prices nationwide.
Maryland was the first state to enact an immediate suspension of gasoline taxes, and Republican Governor Larry Hogan said. I wrote on Twitter..
An emergency bipartisan law signed by Hogan will suspend the state’s gasoline tax for 30 days, saving residents 36.1 cents per gallon of gasoline and 36.85 cents per gallon of diesel fuel.
“This bipartisan action will relieve some of the pain in the pump, which is possible thanks to the prudent fiscal measures we have taken and has resulted in a record budget surplus.” Logan said.
“Of course, this is not a panacea. Market volatility continues to lead to price volatility, but we continue to be free to use any tool to bail out Marylanders,” he added.
Prior to signing the state’s fuel tax suspension, Logan also announced a $ 4.6 billion tax cut package for working families, retirees, and small businesses (the largest tax cut package in state history). did.
Georgia was followed on March 18 by Republican Governor Brian Kemp calling for a suspension of its own petrol tax. announcement On Twitter, he also aimed at the Biden administration.
“In the next few days, the suspension of a 29.1 cent tax on motor fuels and a 32.6 cents tax on diesel will give way to consumers,” said Kemp, who is running for reelection this year. “We can’t fix everything Washington broke, but it does play a role in reducing the impact on Georgian wallets.”
The Georgia Gasoline Tax Suspension will take effect immediately and will be effective until May 31, 2022.
Several other states, after steadily rising since 2021, could be exacerbated by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, causing prices to skyrocket across the United States and suspend gasoline taxes in the coming days.
As of March 22, 2022, the national average gas price was $ 4.24 per gallon, according to data from the Automotive Group AAA. The data show that this is up from $ 3.53 in February 2022 before Russia invaded Ukraine and up from $ 2.88 in March 2021.
President Joe Biden blamed the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine as the reason for the rise in gas prices, and he told reporters earlier this month that “I can’t do much now … Russia is responsible.” “.
However, gas prices were already rising in the United States and other countries due to inflation, the COVID-19 pandemic blockade, and subsequent supply chain problems.
Critics also pointed out a number of Biden’s presidential orders, including the suspension of the Keystone XL pipeline. They say this is due to soaring prices.
At the beginning of March 2022, Democratic Governor of California Gavin Newsom said he was working with lawmakers to return money to taxpayers to offset the state’s record high gas prices. AAA data show that California has the highest gasoline prices in the country.
New York did not provide details on the proposal and how it works, but the New York Times quoted the Governor’s Office and reported that the bailout was tax refunded.
Governor’s Senior Advisor, Dee Dee Myers, I told reporters The proposed rebate is likely to be a “significant amount” and applies to vehicle owners living in California.
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Katabella Roberts is a reporter currently based in Turkey. She focuses primarily on the United States and covers the news and business of The Epoch Times.