Rep. Pack and Sen. Ford host gas gift card giveaway, continue calls for state tax suspension

INDIANAPOLIS – On Thursday, State Representative Renee Pack (D-Indianapolis) and State Senator J.D. Ford (D-Indianapolis) handed out gas gift cards to 40 constituents struggling with inflated gas prices on Indianapolis’ Westside. The gift card giveaway simulated the effect of temporarily suspending state gas taxes, which reached a record high of 56 cents per gallon this month. House and Senate Democrats have called for the temporary suspension of the state gas taxes since March.

“We’ve been calling on the governor to take action on the skyrocketing prices for essential goods since March, and he along with other Statehouse Republicans have outright refused to provide Hoosiers with the relief they so desperately need at the pump,” Pack said. “As we have said so many times before, suspending the state’s exorbitant gas tax isn’t just a feasible plan–it’s a necessary one. Unlike the governor and the Indiana GOP, we will always be serving our communities and giving people the help they deserve.”

“Hoosiers are telling us how much of a financial strain gas prices are having on their pocketbooks.” Ford noted. “Since Statehouse Republicans refused to act, Rep. Pack and I are taking matters into our own hands to provide relief at the pump. It’s time we take action to provide relief for all Hoosiers.”

As an alternative to suspending state gas taxes, Democrats are proposing to use funds from Indiana’s record $6.1 billion surplus to double the $125 Automatic Tax Refund that 4.3 million Hoosiers are receiving this year.

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.