The Connecticut General Assembly passed a three-month suspension of the gas tax Wednesday.
The House approved the measure by a vote of 143 to 0. The vote in the Senate was 33-0.
Drivers are expected to start to see relief at the pump by April 1.
“25 cents cheaper on the gallon makes sense. But it’s still inflated,” said Greg Moore, of Hartford. “So you’re giving me a discount to a cheaper price that’s still marked up.”
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Drivers are feeling the high gas prices and lawmakers are taking notice.
“We have $100 million more coming into our coffers, and we can’t just throw up our hands and say nothing. That’s why we’re acting. It’s not a gimmick,” Rep. Sean Scanlon, D-Guilford, said.
Scanlon says drivers and families have been impacted by inflation.
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“The gallon of an average gas cost today is $4.32, according to AAA, so that is meaningful savings to people who drive back and forth to work to drive their kids to school,” Scanlon said.
“It does suck. Prices everywhere are just going up,” said Jordan Rastjar, of Stamford.
Rastjar is a student and is only able to work part-time.
“Any reduction to my everyday expenses is a huge help,” he said.
Republicans voted in favor of the package.
“This certainly is some short-term relief for our residents, for our commuters, for people who are driving business vehicles,” House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora said.
The gas tax holiday only applies to gasoline and not diesel.
In addition to the gas tax holiday, lawmakers also voted to offer a sales tax holiday on the week of April 10 and offer free bus fare between April 1 and June 30.
“We are charged with doing what we can to respond to these disruptions that are largely beyond our control,” House Majority Leader Jason Rojas said.
The bill now goes to Gov. Ned Lamont, who said he supports the tax breaks.
