New York Lawmakers Push Bill to Suspend Gas Tax Over the Summer, Gov. Hochul Not Sure Drivers will Benefit

By Yehudit Garmaise

As prices at the pump continue to rise, both Democratic and Republican New York lawmakers have proposed suspending the state’s gas tax until September, however, Gov. Kathy Hochul remains ambivalent about the idea.

Gov. Hochul explained that revenue from the state gas is used for road and bridge repairs in the state, so suspending the gas tax would deprive highway budgets.

When asked about the higher gas prices in the US, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said yesterday, "Americans are paying a higher price at the pump because of the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

“This is a Putin spike at the gas pump."

Prices are spiking so high, in fact, that New12 New York warned New Yorkers today that thieves nationwide are stealing gas by drilling holes into cars' gas tanks to siphon gas right out of them.

The proposed bill, the New York Gas Tax Relief Act, could save drivers up to 48 cents per gallon of gasoline, according to Patch.com.

Last week, Democratic Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara rallied for a one-year suspension of the tax, Spectrum News 1 reported, and on Monday, Republican lawmakers in the Senate announced a similar push.

"These are costs that are just astronomical, and we are asking people to basically buckle up?” asked Republican Sen. Peter Oberacker, who sponsored the bill. “No.

“We need to give them some relief. We need to give them some hope, and that's what we're doing."

Photo: Flickr