State Gas Prices Almost Highest in Nation

So, you guessed when gas prices started falling a few months ago that the cost of filling your tank was headed in the right direction.

Guess again.

Gas prices are climbing back up and Connecticut now has the dubious distinction of having the highest gas prices in the contiguous continental United States, the lower 48 without Alaska and Hawaii.

Gas prices in Connecticut are now even higher–at $4.03 per gallon–than in California, about the same as Alaska and just slightly lower than Hawaii–states that have been ranked in the top three the past few years, according to the Automobile Association of America (AAA).

Gas prices in Fairfield County are the highest in Connecticut, at nearly $4.12 per gallon on average, according to AAA.

"Now, that is kind of crazy. Look at the total, can you believe it?" asked Jamie Sanger of Fairfield, pointing to the $78.96 that flashed on the screen after he filled up his 2006 BMW at Mobil Mart on the Post Road in Fairfield late Friday afternoon.

"But with all the taxes we pay, we shouldn't be that surprised," Sanger said.

In fact, when state and federal taxes are combined, drivers in Connecticut now pay more than 70 cents a gallon in taxes alone, with a 25-cent excise tax and 24 cents in other state taxes per gallon. That means Connecticut drivers are among the most highly taxed, according to the Independent Connecticut Petroleum Association.

With the $4.03 average gas price, as of July 22, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report, Connecticut has passed the $3.81 in California. Connecticut also has just slightly lower prices than Hawaii's $4.067.

Officials blame the high prices here on local supply and taxes.

"What do people expect?" said Mike Riley, president of the Motor Transport Association of Connecticut, the state's truckers' trade group, which includes 900 members. "It doesn't make any sense to add taxes–like the one on diesel fuel–at a time when fuel costs are already so high."

Riley said 95 percent of all products that come in and out of Connecticut are by truck, so higher gas prices "just hurts the state's economy in every way, and sends businesses out of state. It sure doesn't help bring business here."

Greg Amy, Connecticut chapter activist for the National Motor Association, agreed high demand and high taxes have made the state's gas prices soar.

"As consumers, it really changes the way we live," said Amy, of Middletown. "I love to drive, but at four bucks a gallon, even I drive less."

How do you feel about Connecticut gas prices being the highest in the continental United States? Leave a comment below.

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