Maryland and Georgia have halted their collection of gas taxes in an effort to hide the effects of Biden's inflation from the American people.
In Maryland, the emergency bipartisan legislation signed by Governor Larry Hogan will suspend the gas tax for 30 days and will save the residents 36.1 cents per gallon for diesel. Hogan said the action can provide some relief to the people, and it is possible because of the steps that the Maryland government has taken so far, which gave budget surplus.
"This is, of course, not a cure-all, and market instability will continue to lead to fluctuations in prices, but we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to provide relief for Marylanders," he said.
Before he signed the suspension of state gas tax, Hogan also announced a $4.6 billion tax relief package for working families, retirees and small businesses.
Georgia followed Maryland's footsteps with its own gas tax suspension. Governor Brian Kemp announced the news on Twitter while taking a swipe at the Biden administration as well.
According to Kemp, there will be a suspension of the 29.1 cent tax on motor fuel and 32.6 cent tax on diesel, and these amounts will find their way back to the consumer. "Though we can’t fix everything Washington has broken, we're doing our part to lessen the impact on Georgians' wallets," he noted.
The tax suspension went into effect immediately and will remain until May 31.
Other states are also looking to suspend their state gas taxes in the coming days as prices continue to soar in the United States. The problem has been exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The national average gas price, which soared to $4.24 per gallon as of March 22, is up from $3.53 from February, before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This was up from $2.88 in March 2021, as per data. (Related: Biden bans U.S. imports of Russian oil in ongoing war on AMERICAN consumers as gas prices skyrocket further.)
Biden blames Russia-Ukraine war for skyrocketing gas prices
President Joe Biden blamed the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict for the rising gas prices, telling reporters earlier this month that there is nothing much that the federal government can do right now.
However, the prices had been rising across the United States and the world even before the invasion due to inflation, lockdowns and supply chain issues. Critics of the administration also pointed to Biden's executive orders, such as the suspension of the Keystone CL pipeline, as major contributors to the surge in prices.
California Governor Gavin Newsom also announced earlier in March that he had been working with lawmakers to give money back to taxpayers to offset the record-high gas prices in the state. However, he did not provide further details regarding the proposal and how it would work, although it would be possible for the relief to take the form of a "substantial" tax rebate that would apply to vehicle owners living in California.
While some states are putting a pause on gas taxes, others oppose the idea for fear that fuel companies may abuse the lift, hiking up prices even further. Others argue that gasoline tax only covers a small portion of the total cost of gasoline, and pausing it may not make much of a difference.
Still, other congress members believe that the Biden administration should make a move to pause federal fuel taxes as well. The concern about the high prices has contributed to Biden's drop in approval rating, which is why the White House needs to consider a plan to give Americans reprieve from the high gas prices.
Poll after poll showed that Americans have been frustrated with the administration's handling of inflation. However, Biden and his administration have instead blamed the coronavirus pandemic as well as Russia's invasion of Ukraine for the problem.
"Let's be absolutely clear about why prices are high now are high for two reasons. One was COVID - the way the global economy works. Now a second big reason for inflation is Vladimir Putin," Biden said in his remarks to the National League of Cities. (Related: Biden's globalist agenda sees Americans suffering from gas prices and more.)
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Watch the video below know more about who Americans are blaming for the high gas prices.
This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.
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