(PatrioticPost.com)- This week, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that he would be asking Florida lawmakers to cut state taxes on gas and fuel by $1 billion when they reconvene in January.
Naturally, his potential Democrat challenger Charlie Crist is complaining about the move. In a statement this week, Crist griped that DeSantis should call a special legislative session now to suspend the state gas tax for the rest of the year to offer immediate relief to Florida residents.
It’s the end of November. Does Charlie Crist think suspending the gas tax for four weeks will provide much by the way of relief?
DeSantis dismissed Crist’s feigned concern, arguing that high gas prices are a direct result of President Biden’s energy policies – the very policies Charlie Crist supports.
In addition to calling for the tax cut, DeSantis also urged fuel stations to reduce their prices by 25 cents a gallon. He said he already spoke with executives from several large Florida-based gas station chains and all have agreed to lower gas prices.
DeSantis argued that the increase in wages and salaries in Florida still isn’t enough to offset the rising cost of goods due to Biden’s inflation, adding “you’re actually losing money in this inflationary economy.”
According to AAA, the national average for a gallon of gas is $3.41 for regular and $3.64 for diesel. Gas prices are on average $1.29 higher than last year at this time.
Governor DeSantis said cutting the state gas taxes won’t harm Florida’s ability to pay for the initiatives and infrastructure projects currently in the works because the state has “more reserves than ever before.”
The Florida legislature’s next regular session runs from January until March of 2022. If they approve legislation to lower the state gas and fuel taxes, the reduction would not go into effect until the start of the next fiscal year on July 1.
On Tuesday, President Biden announced that he was releasing 50 million barrels of oil from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The move is seen by many as nothing more than a publicity stunt designed to benefit the president’s floundering approval numbers. In 2020, the US consumed on average 18 million barrels of oil per day. Fifty million barrels is about two-and-a-half days’ worth of oil.
