State Senate Republican Braun calls for suspending the gas tax
State Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, is calling for a suspension of the 49.4-cent state gas tax, calling it the “one sure way to lower the cost of gasoline.”
The leader of the Senate Republican Caucus said a gas tax suspension makes sense given the continued increase in gas prices and improvement in the state’s revenue situation.
“In a matter of hours, the Legislature could meet and pass legislation to knock almost 50 cents off the price of a gallon,” he said in a statement earlier this week. “In the central Puget Sound area, gas has gone up 31 cents per gallon on average in the month since Republicans last called for legislative intervention. How much higher does it have to go before our Democratic colleagues decide their constituents should get some relief?”
Braun noted a recent report on state revenue collection indicated a $428 million increase from a February revenue forecast.
“Clearly,” Braun said, “the gas tax could be suspended through the end of the year … without jeopardizing a single state program or service.”
Braun also criticized Democrats in the Legislature and in the federal government for failing to act on rising gas prices.
“The federal government has been ineffective at slowing the rise in fuel costs. Democrats at all levels can blame Putin all they want, but that’s not the underlying cause of the price increases, and in any case the Ukraine situation isn’t going to be resolved anytime soon. Our Legislature represents the only real hope for the people of Washington to pay significantly less at the pump,” Braun wrote.
He urged state Democratic legislators to join a call for a special session and suspend the gas tax with a strong bipartisan vote that could deter a veto.
According to AAA, Washington’s average gas price is now $5.15 per gallon, 58 cents above the national average of $4.57.
Several state legislators in the region offered their support for Braun’s idea.
Sen. Tim Sheldon, a Mason County Democrat who caucuses with the Republicans, told The Chronicle, “I feel it would be a really good thing for our citizens and our economy to call a special session and relieve our citizens of that 49 cents. It would send a clear message to Washington, D.C., to send the signal that we have to do something about inflation. ...”
Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Centralia, said, “Washington state’s gas tax is among the highest in the nation. The tax and over-regulation have given Washington state the unwelcomed distinction of having the highest average gasoline price in the nation. ... Washingtonians are feeling it at the pump, at the grocery store, and it creates barriers to education, employment, and a better quality of life. Relief is long overdue.”
This story was originally published May 20, 2022 at 12:20 PM.