Broome County, NY – On Wednesday, recent actions taken by NYS and Broome County take effect to combat out of control gas prices. Due to higher demand, the war in Ukraine, inflation and price gouging, gas prices have been much higher than usual. Earlier this year, a 7-month gas tax suspension, which was supported by Assemblywoman Lupardo, was included in the NYS budget. It would cut the state’s gas tax in half. This translates into a savings of 16 cents per gallon which is expected to save NY drivers over $585 million. The legislation included in the budget to lower the state's portion of taxes also gave counties permission to reduce their local gas taxes as well.

Broome County also took quick action to cap the taxes it collects per gallon of gas, passing a resolution during the April session of the County Legislature. During the suspension period, the County is capping the price at which local tax is collected at $3 per gallon, resulting in additional savings. Between both actions, drivers should expect to save more than 20 cents on each gallon purchased in the coming weeks. Should prices continue to rise, those savings will grow as well. Broome County’s gas tax suspension runs through December 1^st, 2022 while the State’s will end on December 31^st, 2022.

Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo said, “This gas tax holiday will put $585 million back into the pockets of New Yorkers, as gas will now cost around 20 cents per gallon less in Broome County. I’d like to thank County Executive Garnar and the County Legislature for adding their own tax reduction to the state’s efforts. This will provide much needed financial relief for Broome County residents.”

County Executive Jason Garnar said, “With a rising cost of living, it’s important that we take any steps we can to put money back in the pockets of our residents. The County and State do not control what drives up the price of gasoline, but we are taking what actions we can to provide savings. I appreciate Assemblywoman Lupardo’s leadership at the State level to help provide this much-needed relief to drivers in Broome County.”