Slater Calls for Extension of Gas Tax Freeze Through Winter
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Motorists in New York State have enjoyed a 16 cents per gallon tax savings at the gas pump since June, and Yorktown Supervisor Matt Slater is calling for that discount to be extended through the winter months.
Slater, who is running for the 94th Assembly District seat on Nov. 8, was joined by fellow Town Board members and other Republican candidates outside a Shell station in Shrub Oak last week when urging state lawmakers to act before the gas tax holiday expires at the end of the year.
“The current economy is crushing middle-class families, small businesses, and our seniors. We know it is going to cost a small fortune to heat our homes and keep our lights on this winter,” Slater said. “For once, New York State can be proactive and extend the current gas tax holiday through the winter months to give us an ounce of relief at the pump.”
Besides gas prices soaring, home heating costs are projected to increase as much as 30% this winter. Yorktown Councilman Tom Diana, who owns a home heating company, can attest to the financial pain homeowners may face.
“I have seen firsthand the impact the prices on oil have had on our region firsthand. Just this past week the regional fueling station I use had no oil to fill up my trucks for delivery,” Diana said. “The price to pay right now for 100 gallons, especially for Westchester County consumers who pay a county tax, is what it has traditionally cost to fill my customer’s home heating tank. It is time Albany gets with the program and does the right thing.”
Ray Mussa, owner of the Shell Station, among other gas stations in the region, said his customers would welcome any cost savings.
“People appreciate the tax holiday because it helps them get to where they need to go. I hope this is extended so it keeps helping people,” he said.
State Assemblyman Mike Lawler, who is looking to unseat Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, supported Slater’s stance.
“Across the country and here in New York, we are seeing gas and home heating costs spike. We need to get on the path to energy independence,” Lawler said. “New Yorkers are hurting and are struggling to pay for groceries, struggling to pay at the pump and struggling to pay our home heating costs.”
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
