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Rockland County Executive Ed Day and County Legislature Chairman Jay Hood Jr. announced that local sales tax on gasoline will be capped at $2 per gallon amid the record spike in prices at the pump.
According to officials, the change means sales tax will only be applied to the first $2 of a gasoline purchase, as opposed to the full gas price.
The gasoline tax cap will begin on Wednesday, June 1, and be in effect through Feb. 28, 2023.
Further, they noted that the 2022 New York State Budget provides a suspension of the state excise and sales tax, providing a combined 16 cents per gallon savings to motorists beginning in June and lasting through the end of the year.
“Between the record inflation, rising gas prices, and the pandemic, our families need help now and Rockland County leadership worked expeditiously to deliver it,” Day stated. “The role of government is to create an environment where residents can thrive, not to make money or profiteer off families feeling the duress of a strained economy.
“We hope that this cap provides some much-needed reprieve to Rockland County families.”
Officials said that at the current price of gasoline, this cap will generate approximately 8 cents in additional savings for consumers which, when coupled with state tax suspensions, should result in an estimated 24 cents in relief at the gas pump starting this summer.
“Sticker shock is a harsh reality for many Rockland County families as the prices of so many basics - eggs, meat, gas - have soared,” Hood stated. "It’s part of county government’s job to recognize the needs of people and to act and bringing some relief at the gas pump is an important way we can.”
Currently, in New York, the average price of gas per gallon on Thursday, April 21 was at $4.22, down 15 cents from a month ago, but still ahead of the national average of $4.12, according to AAA.
In Rockland, drivers are paying an average of $4.41 per gallon on April 21.
“People are being squeezed financially on so many fronts, including for food and even the price of keeping their home warm,” Rockland County Legislature Budget & Finance Chairman Aron Wieder said. Something had to be done to bring relief to people who have no choice but to drive to work, the grocery store, the doctor’s office, and other places.
“We can't control everything contributing to the increases, but we can bring at least some relief by suspending the gas tax.”
Other average gas prices in the Hudson Valley, by county:
- Westchester: $4.42
- Putnam: $4.41;
- Dutchess: $4.33;
- Orange: $4.22;
- Sullivan: $4.21;
- Ulster: $4.09.
"As the days get longer, the weather gets warmer, and pump prices dip from their record highs, consumers feel more confident about hitting the road,” AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross said. “But these lower pump prices could be temporary if the global price of oil increases due to constrained supply.”
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