As gas prices continue to rise around the country, many people are feeling the pressure of everyday financial decisions on a national and local level.
The Citizens for Affordable Rates (CAR) Coalition gathered Western New York community advocates Friday morning at an ARCO gas station in the City of Buffalo to highlight the growing financial strains many families are facing in the community. Beyond rising gas prices, New Yorkers are paying over $4,000 annually on average for auto insurance, among the highest rates in the country.
Dr. James A. Lewis III, a pastor and President of the Buffalo National Action Network, said he’s heard from several families in great need, which has inspired him to speak up on the issue.
"It's compounding one thing upon another," said Lewis. "We're living in the highest rent areas that we have ever seen in this area. Western New York is getting more expensive, and then you compound it with additional gas prices, and now they're talking about raising the taxes on property and everything else. We've been reassessed up to our ears, and now the gas thing is just driving us nuts. Those are things that can be controlled and should be controlled by the people we elected and sent to Albany.”
Lewis believes Governor Kathy Hochul must take action to give financial relief immediately, as some in the community are having to miss medical appointments and are without proper food.
"It makes the decision between buying food and buying gas so much more difficult," said Lewis. "Now you have more decisions than ever on your plate. It seems incremental to some people that 10 cents is not a lot of money, but you add it up per gallon per household, and it helps to control the trips. And sometimes you can't go to the places you need to go. So you start overlooking doctor visits and the grocery store."
Lewis added that the state legislature has the power to lower premiums and put at least $200 back into the hands of drivers. Lewis pointed to Hochul's proposal to strengthen New York’s excess profits protections, which mandates that policyholders receive excess profits from insurers.
