(WXYZ) — On Wednesday, the Republican-led state house voted 63-39 to suspend the state's gas tax for 6 months.
State taxes are contributing to the pain at the pump we're feeling across the state. For every gallon of gas sold, the government is taxing citizens 27 cents. And with gas prices reaching record highs, suspending the state gas tax could ease the pain at the pump.
The plan is now headed to the state Senate. State gas tax would not be charged from April 1 through September 30, 2022.
However, Governor Gretchen Whitmer says the state won't have enough money to fix the roads if revenues from the gas tax are eliminated. Instead, she's calling on Congress in Washington to suspend the 18.4-cents-a-gallon federal gas tax and the 24.4-cent diesel tax.
If the state House plan is approved, there is a way to make up for lost revenue. "The legislature is talking about potentially backfilling the money with state general fund revenue,which is concerning for us too," said Craig Bryson, senior communications manager for the road commission in Oakland County. "We are not sure when we will be reimbursed for that money."
But drivers aren't concerned about the politics, they just want a break at the pumps.
"If (the tax break) can be more, it's better, but a little break is fine," Southfield mom Topthiom Bane said. "We really need it."
