Fifteen New York state senators are asking Gov. Kathy Hochul to support a gas and diesel tax holiday to lower the cost of filling up.<\/p>\n
The senators signed on to a March 31 letter from Hudson Valley state Sen. Michelle Hinchey to the governor calling for a suspension in the taxes in response to the recent rise in fuel costs caused by the war in Iran.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis increase has disrupted daily life for New Yorkers statewide, from commuting to industrial production to tourism,\u201d Hinchey wrote, adding that a gas tax holiday\u00a0\u201cwould be a vital step toward helping Nerw Yorkers struggling with these increased costs.\u201d<\/p>\n
New York last instituted a gas tax holiday from\u00a0June 1, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2022, which cut about 16 cents per gallon in state excise and sales tax on gasoline and diesel. Some counties joined the effort by capping local taxes.<\/p>\n
That came after state lawmakers in both parties called for a gas tax suspension amid a sharp rise in prices brought on by inflation as well as the war in Ukraine, causing the average gallon<\/a> in some areas of the state to top $4.<\/p>\n Hinchey told Hochul that, according to AAA, at the time of the 2022 tax holiday, the average price per gallon in New York was $3 for regular gas and $4.01 for diesel.\u00a0She added that since war started in Iran and the ensuing blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, gas has spiked to $3.94 and diesel to $5.77 a gallon.<\/p>\n \u201cThis comes at a time when our farmers, manufacturers, and other industries already face damaging input cost increases from arbitrary and disruptive federal tariffs,\u201d Hinchey stated.\u00a0<\/p>\n