O’Mara blasts new proposed gas tax: Joins opposition to legislation that could raise state gas tax by 55 cents

Albany, N.Y., April 27—State Senator Tom O’Mara (R,C,I-Big Flats) today joined the growing chorus of opposition to legislation under consideration by the state Legislature’s Democratic majorities that could raise the state’s gas tax by 55 cents.

“New York’s out-of-control Democrat supermajorities just enacted a state budget raising taxes by nearly five billion dollars and here we go again.  It will be an unending search for more tax dollars to afford more spending and every taxpayer will pay the price.  The ink on the new state budget is barely dry and the Democrats are already eyeing their next tax hike opportunities, including a potential fifty-five-cents-per-gallon gas tax to help generate revenue to implement a radical, unsustainable, impractical climate change agenda,” said O’Mara.

The legislation (S4264/A6967), known as the “Climate and Community Investment Act,” calls for accelerated state-level actions to achieve broad and far-reaching climate change policies. It includes a new 55-cents-per-gallon gas tax and increased taxes on heating oil, propane, and natural gas, which is estimated to increase home heating fuel costs by 26%.

O’Mara and his colleagues in the Senate Republican Conference, together with other opponents of the move, warn that the legislation would implement regressive taxes that would leave lower- and middle-income families and workers, motorists, truckers, manufacturers and other industries, and seniors among the hardest hit.  

According to the Tax Foundation, New York currently has the 7th highest gas tax in the country, at 43.12 centers per gallon with  California currently the highest at 62.47 cents per gallon. This legislation would raise New York’s tax to 98.12 cents per gallon, an increase of more than 127 percent, and would make New York’s gas tax more than 57 percent higher than any other state.  The Tax Foundation has also repeatedly highlighted New York State as having one of the worst business tax climates in America. 

The legislation is currently in the Environmental Conservation Committee in both the Senate and Assembly.