Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman (R-Bellefonte) proposed lowering the state’s gas tax levels in order to ease the burden on consumers.
Corman’s legislation, known as the Consumer Gas Prices Relief Act, would reduce the state’s liquid fuels tax by one-third through the end of 2022, cutting roughly 20 cents per gallon off the price.
“Consumers should never have to choose between filling their tank and filling their grocery cart, but that is the reality created by the Biden Administration’s embrace of the radical anti-energy production policies and world events. Although state lawmakers do not have the power to change Biden’s disastrous war on domestic energy production at the federal level, we must examine every possible avenue at the state level to offer relief to people who are suffering from the highest gas prices our Commonwealth has ever seen,” Corman said.
In order to offset the lost revenue, the lawmaker proposed utilizing funds from the federal government’s relief. Specifically, it would send $500 million to State Police operations. Furthermore, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation would be mandated to issue a $650 million bond to cover infrastructure needs.
Members of the federal government have made similar calls relating to the federal gas tax.
“My plan offers a fiscally responsible way to help struggling families now without limiting the state’s ability to respond to financial challenges we could face in the future. Importantly, it would also not impact our capability to make critical road and bridge repairs by funding our infrastructure needs through a bond issue and the responsible use of federal relief dollars,” Corman continued.
“This offers a win-win for Pennsylvania families – lower prices at the pump in the short run, and better roads and bridges to drive on in the years ahead. It also buys critical time for lawmakers to determine how we can best meet our long-term infrastructure needs without relying so heavily on the gas tax in the future.”
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Jake Corman” by Pennsylvania Senate Republican Caucus. CC BY 3.0. Background Photo “Sunoco Gas Station” by Michael Rivera. CC BY-SA 4.0.
