Long Island Executives Set Cap On Gasoline Sales Tax

LONG ISLAND, NY — The local sales tax collection on gas has been capped in a bid to help Long Islanders who have been getting hurt at the pump, lawmakers announced, including county executives Steve Bellone (D—Suffolk) and Bruce Blakeman (R—Nassau).

Gas will be capped at $3 — the counties are only collecting taxes on what gas was in 2020 — Blakeman said. Windfalls are set to go back to residents' wallets.

Those who are suffering the most from inflation and high gas prices are middle-class families and those living at or below the poverty level, Blakeman said. He said he spoke with Bellone and Suffolk Legislature Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey (R—Suffolk) about taking a regional approach to help all Long Islanders.

"Let's not try to one-up each other," Blakeman said. "Let's try to make it so that when people go to Long Island, they know what the gas tax is, they know what the prices are gonna be. We worked very well together."

Bellone said there is a lot of uncertainty in the world, between rising inflation and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"To say there is uncertainty ahead is to state the obvious," Bellone said. "So we don't know exactly what's going to happen."

Gas prices have climbed more than a dollar per gallon in the span of a year. Bellone said the end of the issues the world is currently facing is unknown, and that the cap on gas tax collection is a small way to help Long Islanders.

"This is not a panacea," Bellone said. "It's not going to solve everyone's problems, but it will put a little money back in people's pockets. It will give people a sense, and this is important as well, that government is taking action; that we are doing something."

Both executives said the gas tax cap will not negatively impact the counties' budgets.

McCaffrey said the high gas prices and inflation are Long Island problems and the solution was a bi-partisan effort.

"I want this to be the first of many things we are going to continue to do to work on a regional approach because it is one Long Island," McCaffrey said.