HARTFORD, Conn. (WTIC Radio) - The astronomical prices at the pump are prompting State Senate and House Republicans to demand Connecticut lawmakers for immediate gas tax relief on the state and federal level.
Republican lawmakers are proposing a temporary suspension of the state's gross receipts gas tax which has recently gone up to 26.4 cents per gallon.
Connecticut can afford this tax cut, Senate Republican Leader Kevin Kelly said, because "our state has a surplus in revenue collected from taxpayers as a result of inflation. That windfall must be returned to Connecticut taxpayers to provide relief."
Given the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine overseas, Kelly explained that the solution Democrats have proposed will not provide relief today when it is most needed.
Democrats are proposing tax credits, Kelly said, that residents who file a tax return may see next year.
"That's if you file the return. Part of that idea is, hopefully, people don't know what those credits are and don't claim them," Kelly said.
According to House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora, the suspension under their proposal would last until July 1 in order to give the Appropriations and Finance Committees time to continue working on the budget and to consider providing even more longtime relief going into the next budget year.
Republican legislators are also urging Connecticut's federal delegation to do their part in Washington D.C. and to keep pushing for the temporary suspension of the federal 18.4 cents per gallon gas tax.
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal has been calling for the federal gas tax's suspension for months. Connecticut Republicans are calling on him to follow through on his proposal.
"If Sen. Blumenthal supports a federal gas tax suspension, then he should also support a state gas tax suspension and push his Democratic colleagues here in Connecticut to adopt this proposal immediately," Senator Heather Somers (R) said.
If both the federal and state gas taxes were cut, Republicans said Connecticut residents would immediately save 44.8 cents per gallon.
In a written statement, Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney and Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney said, "Senate Democrats are in ongoing conversations regarding tax relief for Connecticut residents, including reducing the gas tax. Democrats have and will continue to push for policies that reduce the tax burden for middle and working class families while ensuring that the most wealthy and corporations pay their fair share."