Biden proposes gas tax holiday
South Bend, Ind. -- As the pain at the pump continues, President Biden is proposing a gas tax holiday
that would drop the federal gas tax, which is 18-point-6 cents per gallon and 24-point-4 cents for diesel.
Biden urges states to drop their state gas tax as well to help with costs.
After stopping at a few gas stations in South Bend, the initial reaction is that this is merely a short-term coverup to a bigger problem.
One person I talked to at the pump told me that anything could help right now.
In Biden’s proposal, the federal gas tax would be suspended for three months.
This could lower gas prices by about twenty cents per gallon, but that could go down lower based on the moves individual states make.
People here in Michiana say this is just a band aid to a bigger issue, but some say they will take what they can get.
"At this time this is outrageous," Says a Michigan resident, "I just spent fifty dollars in gas and I think I barely got a half a tank."
The gas tax holiday was only proposed by Biden Wednesday and we do not know if or when it would be passed.
Biden does urge for states to lower their gas taxes to help and a lot of states already have.
Indiana, nor Michigan has dropped their gas taxes.
Lawmakers in both states have pushed to suspend state gas taxes, but so far none of those efforts have gone far.
Michigan has a 27-cent tax for each gallon of gas.
A Republican proposed plan was shot down earlier this year. Indiana is at a record-high 56-cent tax for gas.
That’s already set to jump to 61 cents next week on july 1st.
The average gallon of gas in Indiana is about $5.13, which is above the national average at $4.98.
Biden’s proposal could help ease the pain at the pump by about 20 cents per gallon.
When asking a Michigan resident if this will help on a grand scale, he was optimistic.
"Yes it will. Yes it will. For how long I don't know, but yes it will," said a Michigan resident.