Massachusetts Republicans On Board With Biden’s Call For Gas Tax Relief

Printed from: https://newbostonpost.com/2022/06/23/massachusetts-republicans-on-board-with-bidens-call-for-gas-tax-relief/

By Katie Lannan
State House News Service

Massachusetts GOP state Senator Bruce Tarr on Thursday found common ground with President Joe Biden, reupping Republican lawmakers’ calls for gas tax relief after Biden called on Congress to suspend the federal gas tax through the end of September and urged states to take similar action.

Republicans in the Massachusetts House and Senate for months have been pushing for a state-level gas tax suspension, winning over a handful of Democrats but not convincing legislative leaders who have knocked the idea as a gimmick and said there’s no guarantee that oil companies would pass the savings on to consumers.

“The President’s recommendation can spur action in the waning days of our formal legislative session, our action can truly benefit working families and save them more than $6 each fill-up,” Tarr, a Gloucester Republican and the minority leader of the Massachusetts Senate, said in a statement Wednesday afternoon, June 22. “We stand ready to work with our colleagues in enacting a gas tax cut in Massachusetts. We have produced a plan that:  supports our state’s road and bridge program; affirms our strong credit rating while keeping our borrowing costs from rising; and, puts real savings where it is needed — in the hands of those who are working to keep our economy strong in the face of soaring inflation.”

Were Massachusetts lawmakers to send Governor Charlie Baker a gas tax suspension bill, it would likely get a positive reception from the corner office.

“We support passing legislation to suspend the gas tax in Massachusetts as President Biden called for today,” Baker and Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito said in a statement posted to Twitter. “Thanks to a balanced budget combined with surplus tax revenues, there is more than enough funding available to suspend the gas tax, pass our tax relief plan, and invest in Massachusetts’s future.”

 

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