Consider it your annual donation to the potholed paradise we call home.
This bump, which nudges the total tax on gas to 44.9 cents per gallon (diesel drivers, you're coughing up 51.9 cents), is all part of the state’s plan to fund critical transportation projects. Want smooth roads and sturdy bridges? Someone’s gotta pay, and spoiler alert: it’s you.
"Based on our review of the consumption data, combined with the requirement to meet the new statutory target, we have determined that the new formula dictates a 2.6 cent increase this coming January," explained State Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio, probably while calculating just how much coffee you can still afford with your gas budget.
This increase stems from the 2024 Chapter 7 law, which ensures the Transportation Trust Fund (TTF) has the cash it needs to pour nearly $11 billion into roadways and bridges over the next five years.
The tax hike includes adjustments to the Petroleum Products Gross Receipt Tax (PPGRT), jumping from 31.8 cents to 34.4 cents for gasoline and from 35.8 cents to 38.4 cents for diesel. Combined with the Motor Fuels Tax, which isn’t budging from 10.5 cents for gas and 13.5 cents for diesel, these changes might have you thinking twice about that extra road trip.
So, as you pull up to the pump in 2025, just remember: every drop of gas is bringing us closer to pothole-free roads... or at least a few fewer bumps on your morning commute. Cheers to that!
Click here to follow Daily Voice Plainfield and receive free news updates.