April 27, 2021
Albany, N.Y., April 27—State Senator Tom O’Mara (R,C,I-Big Flats) today joined the growing chorus of opposition to legislation under consideration by the state Legislature’s Democratic majorities that could raise the state’s gas tax by 55 cents.
“New York’s out-of-control Democrat supermajorities just enacted a state budget raising taxes by nearly five billion dollars and here we go again. It will be an unending search for more tax dollars to afford more spending and every taxpayer will pay the price. The ink on the new state budget is barely dry and the Democrats are already eyeing their next tax hike opportunities, including a potential fifty-five-cents-per-gallon gas tax to help generate revenue to implement a radical, unsustainable, impractical climate change agenda,” said O’Mara.
The legislation (S4264/A6967), known as the “Climate and Community Investment Act,” calls for accelerated state-level actions to achieve broad and far-reaching climate change policies. It includes a new 55-cents-per-gallon gas tax and increased taxes on heating oil, propane, and natural gas, which is estimated to increase home heating fuel costs by 26%.
O’Mara and other opponents warn that the legislation would implement regressive taxes that would leave lower- and middle-income families and workers, motorists, truckers, manufacturers and other industries, and seniors among the hardest hit.
New Yorkers already pay the third-highest gas taxes in America at 42.7-cents-per-gallon on gasoline and 43.43-cents-per-gallon on diesel.
New York’s business tax climate has long been noted by the Tax Foundation as one of the nation’s worst.
The legislation is currently in the Environmental Conservation Committee in both the Senate and Assembly.
