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Gas tax holiday vote Wednesday, but how soon will you see savings?

Gas prices could drop soon as Connecticut lawmakers plan to suspend part of the state gas tax Wednesday, but drivers won't see relief immediately.

News 12 Staff

Mar 22, 2022, 9:22 PM

Updated 987 days ago

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Gas prices could drop soon as Connecticut lawmakers plan to vote to suspend part of the state gas tax Wednesday, but drivers won't see relief immediately.
The gas tax holiday will run from April 1 through June 30 and during that time will also include free CT Transit rides.
The gas tax holiday will require gas stations to pass on savings or be “deemed an unfair or deceptive trade practice.”
"Consumers will not get a savings the day that the holiday goes into effect. It may actually take a week before anyone sees these savings," said Chris Herb, of Connecticut Energy Marketers Association.
This is because gas stations have already paid taxes on their existing supply. Retailers cannot pass a tax break onto drivers until they get a new delivery.
In busy areas, that might only take a day or two. It could take much longer in rural areas.
Connecticut Energy Marketers Association is calling on lawmakers to give retailers a tax credit for what they’ve already paid.
"We need the state to credit the tax back, so that we can pass these savings along immediately," said Herb.
Connecticut House Speaker Matt Ritter says it’s unclear the delay will be significant enough to warrant the cost of a rebate.
"It's not going to be in the bill tomorrow, but if we look back a few weeks from now and people want to have that conversation, we're always open to listening to it, what happened in reality," said Ritter.
The suspension would run until June 30, and would only affect the flat 25-cent retail tax. The state’s other gross receipts tax, which fluctuates with the price of fuel, will remain in place.
So how much will a quarter actually save you? If you buy 10 gallons a week, you're only saving $2.50 a week. Over the full three months the holiday is in place, that's $30.
One group that won't see savings is long-haul truckers. This plan does not roll back the diesel tax, because top Democrats say most big-rigs are from out-of-state.
There will also be an additional sales tax holiday on clothes under $100 from April 10-16, similar to one held in August.