Governor Youngkin again asks for gas tax holiday

WWBT.com reports that Governor Youngkin is again calling on the General Assembly to include a 90 day gas tax holiday in this year’s budget.  Gas prices on the Shore range from $4.28 to $4.45 a gallon which is a record.  Diesel is approaching $6.00 a gallon.

“It’s summertime. It’s when gas prices go up the most. Let’s get Virginians a break. Let’s get people to Virginia. Now’s the time to do it,” said Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Youngkin says state lawmakers need to act on his 90-day gas tax holiday. That measure would suspend the 26-cent gas tax at the pump. It would be phased out in the fall and would cost the state about $470 million.

It’s been stalled for about a month now, while work on the state’s budget continues.

“But now is the time to give Virginians a break. Prices are running away from us. We have more money in the system than we thought. Over a billion dollars more in the commonwealth transportation budget. It’s Virginians’ money and it’s time for us to let them have it,” said Gov. Youngkin.

Meanwhile, state Democrats tried to offer Virginians stimulus paymentes and failed. Lawmakers proposed sending one-time payments of $50 to every car owner in Virginia and up to $100 per household. That would have cost the state about $135 million.

There is also a $250 tax rebate in the Senate budget that would go directly to everyone who filed state taxes.

.