Gas Tax Gets Stunted
SCHENECTADY, NY -- Schenectady and Seneca county legislatures join a list of counties that have approved a gas-tax cap as a way to ease the burden that gasoline costs are creating for many.
In the two counties, the gas tax will be capped when the price exceeds $2 a gallon, saving consumers 8 cents a gallon. Currently, gas prices in the Schenectady county area are $2.89 for regular unleaded gasoline, according to AAA's Fuel Gauge Report.
On a 15-gallon fill up, the gas tax provides a $1.20 savings. If that tank is filled once a week, the savings are $4.80 a month.
Schenectady County Legislator Mike Eidens told Capital News 9 "If you go to any gas station and talk to people at the pump, they will tell you they're grateful for an 8-cent saving. Prices have gone up so significantly and people are hurting, an 8-cent savings does make a difference."
Albany County has already approved a gas tax cap, and Saratoga County is expected to pass the legislature as well.
Even though it provides a savings to the consumers, some counties, such as Monroe, have decided they would lose too much revenue by capping the gas tax, and savings would be minimal at best. Others can't decide if it will be worthwhile. Huntington Legislator John Cooper is concerned that such a cap would be impossible to monitor.
"My concern is that the consumers won't see the savings and that it will ultimately end up in the pockets of the oil companies," he told Suffolk Life Newspapers.
There are repercussions to those who try to go around the gas tax cap. Gas stations and wholesalers who do not follow the legislation will be fined $5,000, said Ed Romaine, a Riverhead Legislator to Suffolk Life Newspapers.
For Schenectady County, the gas tax cap will go into effect in July.
In the two counties, the gas tax will be capped when the price exceeds $2 a gallon, saving consumers 8 cents a gallon. Currently, gas prices in the Schenectady county area are $2.89 for regular unleaded gasoline, according to AAA's Fuel Gauge Report.
On a 15-gallon fill up, the gas tax provides a $1.20 savings. If that tank is filled once a week, the savings are $4.80 a month.
Schenectady County Legislator Mike Eidens told Capital News 9 "If you go to any gas station and talk to people at the pump, they will tell you they're grateful for an 8-cent saving. Prices have gone up so significantly and people are hurting, an 8-cent savings does make a difference."
Albany County has already approved a gas tax cap, and Saratoga County is expected to pass the legislature as well.
Even though it provides a savings to the consumers, some counties, such as Monroe, have decided they would lose too much revenue by capping the gas tax, and savings would be minimal at best. Others can't decide if it will be worthwhile. Huntington Legislator John Cooper is concerned that such a cap would be impossible to monitor.
"My concern is that the consumers won't see the savings and that it will ultimately end up in the pockets of the oil companies," he told Suffolk Life Newspapers.
There are repercussions to those who try to go around the gas tax cap. Gas stations and wholesalers who do not follow the legislation will be fined $5,000, said Ed Romaine, a Riverhead Legislator to Suffolk Life Newspapers.
For Schenectady County, the gas tax cap will go into effect in July.