State Sen. Paul Cicarella (R-North Haven) voted in support of emergency legislation (House Bill 5501) suspending Connecticut’s excise tax on gasoline from April 1, 2022, to June 30, 2022. In addition, the legislation creates a one-week sales tax holiday on clothing and footwear under $100 from April 10, 2022, to April 16, 2022, and it suspends fares on all CTtransit buses statewide from April 1, 2022, to June 30, 2022.
Two weeks ago, Senator Cicarella joined Connecticut Republicans and called for suspending the state gas tax and also called for federal action to suspend the federal gas tax.
The state’s excise tax on gasoline is 25 cents per gallon. The legislation includes language asserting that failure by retailers to reduce the per-gallon price of gasoline by this amount during the suspension period will be considered an “unfair or deceptive trade practice.”
“The soaring cost of gas and other goods from inflation have crippled families in my district and across Connecticut. I’ve been taking this message to Hartford, and this gas tax suspension is welcome relief. It is a positive first step to bring relief at the pump. Families should not be forced to choose between fueling their car and putting food on the table or paying their electric bill,” said Senator Cicarella.
“We should also be looking at other measures that my Senate Republican colleagues and I have introduced such as temporarily lowering the state’s sales tax for immediate relief. Connecticut families need every solution that’s possible to lower their cost of living. Just as we kept up the pressure to suspend the fuel tax, I will continue to bring this sense of urgency to find other ways to reduce the historically high cost of living in the state.”
The legislation earned unanimous approval of the House and Senate.
Senator Cicarella is also advocating for cutting the state sales tax, making health care more affordable, and implementing policies to create opportunities and a pipeline to jobs. Learn more at BetterWayCT.com.