By Mark Scott and Anthea Passmore
Buffalo, NY – Republicans in the State Assembly are once again calling for a suspension of the state sales tax on gasoline through the end of the year.
Monday, the lawmakers were joined by representatives of the Triple A to push for enactment of the tax suspension by next week's Labor Day holiday. Assemblyman Jim Hayes of Amherst said local drivers deserve some relief...
"New York State has the dubious distinction of being one of only nine states in the country that adds a state sales tax on top of the commodity price of gasoline, the federal excise tax and the state's petroleum business tax," Hayes said. "So, the state sales tax we're calling on the State Legislature to take off today is a tax on a tax."
Hayes said suspending the four percent tax levy would save motorists in New York an estimated $216 million through December 31st.
Gasoline prices remain at record levels in Western New York and are likely to increase even more because of the impact of Hurricane Katrina on oil producers and refineries in the Gulf Coast region.