There is a push to save you money at the pump. The president is considering a federal gas tax holiday as prices for just about everything rise because of inflation. The move would suspend the gas tax for a year.
There’s no denying that gas prices are high. They are up 20 cents in the last three weeks. And for now, there seems to be no end in sight to these rising gas prices.
In Florida, the average price for a gallon of gas is $3.48. Looking specifically at Lee County, the average price is nearly $3.46.
Dmytro Lytvynenko is visiting from Massachusetts. He said, “plane tickets are really much better than the gas prices around here.
Craig Stephens is feeling the pain too. His job requires a lot of time in the car. “I travel fairly… for a fair amount of time, but gas prices are just off the charts at this point,” he said. “I probably spend anywhere from $150, maybe in a week.”
If Russia invades Ukraine, Stephens will spend a lot more than that.
Couple the fears of the Russian invasion with rising inflation, and President Biden is floating an idea suggested by senate democrats, a gas tax holiday. Suspend the federal gas tax of 18 cents a gallon through the end of this year.
If it sounds familiar, it is because Governor Ron DeSantis proposed something similar for Floridians last November. He wants state lawmakers to pass legislation that would give Floridians a gas tax break of about 25 cents a gallon for five months starting July first.
“We’re taking over 25 cents from Florida. And we will basically zero that out for as long as we can and do over a billion dollars. That’s going to make a huge, huge deal,” said Gov. DeSantis.
“So what we’re going to be proposing in the next legislative session is over a billion dollars in gas tax relief for Florida families. And that’s going to make a big, big difference,” said DeSantis.
If both gas tax suspensions happen, Floridians could save 43 cents a gallon.
Stephens said he doesn’t care if it is a democratic president or a republican governor if he can save money at the pump, he’s all for it.
“I do think it’s a good idea,” Stephens said. “You know, you just can’t seem to make ends meet. And that’s at least one way that’ll help.”
“I would hope that you know, we, as a nation can come together and, you know, try to help the people that are out here now, so if that’s what we get by having that tax break, then I’m for it,” said Stephens.
President Biden has yet to officially endorse the tax holiday but when asked about it, the white house said quote “all options are on the table.”
Lytvynenko says he’s still on the fence about whether this will work. “Good or bad idea… I’m going to say nobody knows. It’s easier to say, was it a good or bad idea the next morning.,” said Lytvynenko.