Trump & WV Dems agree on suspending gas tax
By Stephen Baldwin, RealWV
CHARLESTON, WV — Politics sometimes makes strange bedfellows, so the old proverb goes…and it was proven true again yesterday.
President Donald Trump voiced support in a press appearance for suspension of the federal gas tax, a policy advocated by West Virginia Democrats on the state gas tax.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Pres. Trump said in response to a question from CBS News about suspending the federal gas tax. “Yup, we’re going to take off the gas tax for a period of time, and when gas goes down, we’ll let it phase back in.”
The federal gas tax is 18.4 cents per gallon on gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon on diesel.
“West Virginians are paying too much at the pump, and they need relief now,” said Delegate Mike Pushkin, Chair of the WV Democratic Party. “This is about putting money back into the pockets of working people right now, when they need it most.”
The state gas tax in West Virginia is 35.7 cents per gallon on gasoline and diesel. So if both the state and federal taxes were suspended, drivers would see a 54.1 cent decrease on the price per gallon.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey commented on the proposal last week, “We’re going to look very closely, very seriously, at all these different proposals because I want to make sure we’re providing more money back into the pockets of hardworking West Virginians,” Morrisey said. “When people are hurting, we need to return more money back to people’s pockets. You have to look seriously at all these issues because West Virginians are hurt and we have to make sure we’re responding to that.”
Gas taxes are dedicated revenue for roads, so suspension of the gas tax would result in less available funds for road maintenance if not replenished.
Pushkin and fellow Democrats have proposed using available state surplus funds to cover the cost due to the high price of gas currently.
“President Trump has said the increase in gas prices is temporary and won’t last long. If Governor Morrisey believes that, then he should have no problem supporting a temporary suspension of the gas tax, just as House Democrats have proposed, to help hardworking West Virginians get through this period,” Pushkin said.
Across the nation, gas prices are up more than 50% since the end of February. According to AAA, the average cost per gallon in West Virginia on Monday was $4.39.
With prices at $4.06 per gallon, Monroe County had the lowest price.
At $4.61 per gallon, Calhoun County had the highest price.
Suspension of the federal gas tax would require an act of Congress, estimated at a cost of half a billion dollars per week.
