Comptroller renews call for relief following President Biden's push for federal and state action
ANNAPOLIS (June 22, 2022) — Comptroller Peter Franchot today wrote a letter to presiding officers of the United States Congress and the Maryland General Assembly to urge immediate legislative enactment of federal and state gas tax holidays.
Mr. Franchot’s letter to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, Maryland House Speaker Adrienne Jones and Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson followed President Joe Biden’s remarks calling on Congress and states to provide immediate relief in response to soaring gas prices.
“As Maryland’s chief fiscal officer and motor fuel regulator, I call on the leadership of the Congress and – once again – call on the leadership of the Maryland General Assembly to act expeditiously and enact a gas tax holiday until the end of September,” Mr. Franchot wrote. “If both Congress and the General Assembly heed the President’s – and your constituents’ – call to action, residents and businesses here in Maryland will save nearly $550 million over the next three months. These are significant savings for Marylanders, families, and small businesses who are seeing their household budgets and business margins decimated through no fault of their own.”
In March, after Mr. Franchot called for a gas tax holiday, the Governor and the Maryland General Assembly swiftly enacted a 30-day gas tax holiday. The Comptroller’s Office worked closely with the motor fuel industry to ensure compliance and seamless implementation of the temporary gas tax suspension. The agency’s successful implementation was recently heralded by the Federation of Tax Administrators, the national association that represents all state tax collection agencies.
“The urgency of this moment requires immediate, bold, and decisive action from all levels of government. Marylanders – and Americans across our country – cannot afford continued inaction at a time when government coffers are experiencing historic surpluses,” Mr. Franchot concluded.
