HARRISBURG, June 29 – To provide immediate relief to Pennsylvania’s motor vehicle drivers from high gas prices, state Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, believes that legislation to support a freeze on the gas tax for the rest of the year should be included in the 2022-23 state budget given the current budgetary surplus.
“Inflationary gas prices are hitting Pennsylvanians hard, with many people struggling to pay for the gas needed so they can go about their lives, like commuting to work, picking their kids up from school, and going grocery shopping,” Ciresi said. “I am advocating that the two bills I am co-sponsoring that would support a freeze on the gas tax should be included–in this year’s state budget to provide immediate financial relief to Pennsylvanians. With our significant budget surplus this year, we have a unique opportunity to use it to make sure there’s no negative impact on transportation funding.”
House Bill 2453, the Gas Tax Holiday bill, would provide a six-month pause on the state gas tax.
House Bill 2506 would suspend the state’s gasoline and diesel tax until the end of 2022.
Both bills are before the House Transportation Committee. “It’s time to take action on behalf of working Pennsylvanians and move these crucial bills out of the Transportation Committee and into the state budget,” Ciresi said. “This budget surplus is precisely meant to be used to lessen the blows dealt by historical crises like the one we find ourselves in now — when our residents are getting squeezed by the negative impacts of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and price-gouging oil companies. With a gas tax freeze, the budget surplus will provide needed relief to Pennsylvanians while protecting the state’s transportation funding streams.”
For more information, please contact Ciresi’s office at (484) 200-8265.
