Erie County legislators voted unanimously in favor of raising the tax on gasoline and diesel fuel sales.
The proposal exempts any Erie County gas tax that exceeds $2 per gallon.
“Everyone is concerned about day-to-day living expenses,” Legislator Frank Todaro said. “So this gas tax limit, we want to extend it over a longer period of time and continue the holiday, as they call it; we have to help everyone; that’s our concern; that’s our job as a government entity.”
“Everyone is having concerns about day-to-day living expenses,” said Legislator Frank Todaro.(Photo: https://buffalonews.com/)
In New York State, gas is heavily taxed. Every gallon purchased necessitates the payment of Federal Excise Tax, New York State Petroleum Business Tax, New York State Spill Tax, New York State Sales Tax, and Erie County Sales Tax.
This extension comes after New York State’s gas tax holiday expired at the end of 2022.
“We live in a heavily taxed state,” Legislator Chris Greene said. “Residents work hard for their wages, which New York then takes a large portion of, so anything we can do to help families who are struggling right now, we should.”
“Even with this relief, even at $3.42 per gallon, you still pay nearly 46 cents in taxes on a gallon of gas; this is a start, but we need to keep looking for ways to help,” said Legislator Todaro.
The proposed budget for New York State allows local governments to choose a cents per gallon tax rate to go into effect at the start of any sales tax quarter. Erie County has asked the Commissioner of Taxation and Finance to shorten the required 90-day notice period for the resolution to 30 days.
Implementation will begin in June and will last until the end of the year, on December 31, 2023.
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