Proposed Bills Would Freeze PA Gas Tax As Inflation Hits

HARRISBURG — To help offset higher fuel prices and an overall increase in the cost of living, a state legislator from Montgomery County is pushing two bills designed to aid consumers at the pump.

Democratic State Rep. Joe Ciresi is cosponsoring House Bill 2453, also known as the Gas Tax Holiday bill, which would provide a six-month pause on the state gasoline tax, and House Bill 2506, which would suspend the state's gas and diesel tax until the end of 2022.

Both of the measures are currently before the House Transportation Committee.

"It's time to take action on behalf of working Pennsylvanians and move these crucial bills out of the Transportation Committee and into the state budget," Ciresi said in a statement.

Ciresi said a gas tax freeze should be included in the 2022-23 state budget given the fact that there is currently a budgetary surplus.

"This budget surplus is precisely meant to be used to lessen the blows dealt by historical crises like the one we find ourselves in now — when our residents are getting squeezed by the negative impacts of Putin's invasion of Ukraine and price gouging oil companies," Ciresi stated. "With a gas tax freeze, the budget surplus will provide needed relief to Pennsylvanians while protecting the state's transportation funding streams."

Ciresi said his two bills are designed to bring immediate relief to residents of the commonwealth, who are already "struggling to pay for the gas needed so they can go about their lives, like commuting to work, picking their kids up from school, and going grocery shopping."

"With our significant budget surplus this year, we have a unique opportunity to use it to make sure there's no negative impact on transportation funding," Ciresi stated.

Legislative records show that H.B. 2453 currently has 10 co-sponsors and H.B. 2506 has 32 co-sponsors.