July 1, 2013

Sen. Kelly and Rep. Rutigliano Finish Petition Drive Against Gas Tax Hike

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Please check out the article below that talks about the finish of our gas tax petition drive. Thank you to all who participated — we were able to collect just over 1,000 signatures in just a few short weeks!

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State Sen. Kevin C. Kelly, R-21st District, and State Rep. Dave Rutigliano, R-Trumbull, gathered more than 60 signatures for a petition to stop increases in the state gas tax and diesel fuels tax at the Citgo Food Bag gas station on June 24. As of Thursday afternoon, more than 16,000 people had signed the petition statewide. Kelly represents parts of Seymour.

“After speaking with people throughout our communities, I heard loud and clear that enough is enough,” said Kelly. “On July 1, the gas tax is scheduled to increase by 16%, forcing families to make tough decisions at the gas pump and the grocery store. With your support, I plan to submit these signatures to the governor’s office to show how many people oppose this tax increase. We simply cannot continue to increase the burden on our middle class families.”

The gas tax in Connecticut is currently about $.22 higher than in neighboring states like Massachusetts. The July 1 gas tax hike would raise prices at the pump by about $.04 per gallon.

The petroleum gross receipts tax is a hidden state tax on gasoline that motorists pay above and beyond the state ($.25) and federal ($.184) excise taxes. This tax is a percentage of the wholesale price of gasoline and is scheduled to increase from 7% to 8.1% on July 1, which amounts to a 16% increase. According to the Connecticut Energy Marketers Association, the average wholesale price of gasoline in Connecticut is currently $2.82 per gallon and Connecticut state taxes on a gallon of gasoline total $.45.

At the same time, Connecticut’s Diesel Fuel Tax, which is based on the petroleum gross receipts tax rate, is scheduled to increase by $.035 per gallon, which will increase trucking and transportation costs, causing a ripple effect that will increase consumer costs on everything from groceries and clothing to construction, as well as other goods and services.

Legislative Republicans offered plans this legislative session in committee and in both the State Senate and State House of Representatives to eliminate the tax hike, and they proposed several options to replace the lost revenue.

“I repeatedly supported proposals to reverse this burdensome tax increase and replace it with responsible ways to balance the budget without tax increases,” said Kelly. “It is my hope that these signatures will help persuade the governor to stop the tax increase. Many thanks to Representative Rutigliano, the Citgo Food Bag gas station and the dozens of people who went out of their way to sign our petition.”

The legislators hosted the petition drive from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. During that time, they received over 60 signatures from motorists and concerned citizens. For more information or to sign an online petition, visit www.AxeTheGasTaxCT.com.