WASHINGTON, D.C. (KERO) — Gas prices have been on the rise for months now, but Wednesday President Joe Biden called on Congress to suspend the federal gas tax for three months and asked for states to suspend their own gas taxes or provide relief to consumers.
Triple-A says that the current average price for regular gas in Bakersfield is $6.35 which is a 34-cent increase from just a month ago when the average was $6.01. And that is why President Biden is seeking to provide relief for consumers for the summer driving season.
According to the White House, the federal government charges an 18.4 cent tax per gallon of gasoline and a 24.4 cent tax per gallon of diesel and Biden says suspending the tax for three months through the end of September will lead to a loss in revenue of about $10 billion.
“I fully understand that a gas tax holiday alone is not going to fix the problem but it will provide families some immediate relief, just a little bit of breathing room as we continue working to bring down prices for the long haul,” said President Biden.
In addition to federal gas tax relief, the president is also calling on state and local governments to provide additional breaks for consumers.
States like Connecticut and New York have put temporary suspensions and pauses on state sales tax on gas and President Biden says he believes more states and local governments should do the same.
