Could we see gas tax cuts in southwestern Pennsylvania?

PITTSBURGH — Drivers could be looking at 75 cents off per gallon if the federal and state gas tax is put on hold in southwestern Pennsylvania.

“It’s getting, like, more expensive,” said Cenap Kosar.

Kosar has owned Ephesus Pizza for 21 years. He says the high gas prices and labor shortage are having ripple effects on his business. He’s now paying more for supplies like cheese and other pizza toppings, and it’s costing his drivers more to do their job.

“So we pay more and more and more every single time. I don’t know how soon it might stabilize,” said Kosar.

“We can take action on this and provide people relief from the Biden inflation that’s happening across Pennsylvania and this country,” said Republican state Rep. Aaron Bernstine.

President Biden says he’s considering a federal gas tax holiday and could make a decision by the end of the week.

A pause would lower the cost per gallon 18 cents or less, but it requires action by Congress.

However, on the state level, Rep. Aaron Bernstine says he sponsored bills that would offer a one-month holiday from the state’s 57 cent gas tax.

It would drop the price from $5.02 to $4.45 a gallon.

Rep. Bernstine tells Channel 11 that the legislation is stuck in different committees.

“Currently, there are several pieces of legislation that are in the transportation committee in both the House of Representatives and in the Senate. The committee chairman needs to take action on those items,” said Rep. Bernstine.

Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s office says the Republican majority controls the legislative agenda. His office goes on to state, “The governor has long called for a phase-out of the state gas tax and enacting a federal gas tax holiday.”

The governor’s office says that lawmakers can reconvene this summer to pass a state gas tax holiday if they don’t get it done before the summer break.

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