Pfaff renews call for governor to suspend gas tax, provide immediate relief to Hoosiers

INDIANAPOLIS - With Indiana’s gasoline taxes hitting 74.5 cents per gallon this month, State Rep. Tonya Pfaff (D-Terre Haute) is renewing calls for Governor Eric Holcomb to immediately suspend the state gasoline use tax and gasoline excise tax until July.

“Where there’s a will, there's a way,” Pfaff said. “Governor Holcomb must find the will to act in the best interest of Hoosiers at the pump after Republicans rejected our proposal to eliminate the state gasoline use tax and gasoline excise tax. A windfall of excess funding has left Indiana in a position to provide real relief without sacrificing funding to important roads and construction projects. The time to act is now with gas taxes reaching a record high in the state. After witnessing the firsthand effects of exorbitant gas prices and taxes in the Terre Haute community, I’m joining my colleagues in renewing the call for Holcomb to suspend the gas tax until July.”  

There would be precedent for Governor Holcomb taking such an action. In June 2000, Governor Frank L. O’Bannon temporarily suspended the state gasoline tax for two months. Other states across the country, including Georgia and Maryland, have taken steps to temporarily suspend their gas tax and provide relief for consumers.

Republicans rejected House and Senate Democrats’ proposal to suspend the gasoline tax until July on the last day of the 2022 legislative session. Additionally, in 2017, the Republican supermajority voted for a 10-cent hike in the taxes for every gallon of gas purchased, as well as a policy that further allows the tax to rise by as much as 1 cent per gallon of gas every year.