Monroe County is making a move to cut the sales tax on gasoline. This follows a similar move at the state level.
A bipartisan proposal was unveiled Monday by County Executive Adam Bello, and legislative leaders.
It will cap the county sales tax on gasoline, effectively saving drivers an estimated eight cents a gallon. That’s on top of the 16-cent-a-gallon temporary tax decrease on gas the state is already planning on.
Bello said that Monroe County already has been exceeding its sales tax revenue projections, so this reduction will not hurt the county budget.
“And so instead of just continuing to collect those dollars more and more, particularly as the price of gas keeps going up, we thought the fair thing to do for our residents was to be as aggressive as New York state law would allow us to be, to cap that,” Bello said.
Monroe County Legislature President Sabrina LaMar said that the level of inflation people are experiencing these days is “troubling,” and she noted that her district includes many working class and low-income families.
“We’re paying more for groceries, household supplies and clothing,” said LaMar. “But the worse example of inflation is the price of gas. It has risen by 43% in New York state. People of limited means are struggling with sticker shock every time they fill up their tanks.”
Under this plan, the approximately 24-cent-a-gallon reduction in the state and county taxes on gasoline would begin June 1 and last through the end of this year.
