WASHINGTON, DC – On April 7, Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) made the following statement regarding New York State’s plan to temporarily suspend the gas tax. She and Congressman Lee Zeldin (NY-01) previously called on Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature to do so in a March 23 letter.

“I’m pleased to hear that the New York State Legislature has decided to include a suspension of the state gas tax in the Budget Deal from June 1 to the end of the year to provide relief to taxpayers who are facing high prices at the pump. For working-class families who lack public transportation options, they rely upon cars to get to work, drive their children to school, or transport family members to doctors’ appointments or grocery shopping. This, of course, is a temporary bandaid on a much larger problem which is the need to increase our domestic oil and gas production for our own national security and the economic needs of American families. I continue to urge President Biden to repeal the executive orders he put in place upon taking office that stopped pipeline construction and new permits for exploration and production projects. Increasing our domestic supply and expanding energy diversification is the true solution to reducing the cost of gas, heat, and electricity for families and businesses.”

In their letter, the lawmakers argued that New York State has one of the top ten highest gas taxes in the country, with residents paying 33.30 cents a gallon in state gas taxes alone. In total, New Yorkers pay 66.62 cents per gallon in taxes at the pump while the national average is 57.09 per gallon. The American Automobile Association calculates the average price for gas in New York is $4.268 per gallon as of April 7, 2022, which is 11 cents higher than the national average.

The lawmakers wrote: “Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the FY 2023 Executive Budget is a record-breaking $216 billion dollars. Before increasing spending, we urge you to consider improving the lives of New Yorkers by suspending the state gas tax and returning money back to the taxpayers. We also believe Biden and elected leaders in Albany need to ramp up our domestic energy production to increase supply and drive down costs.”