Governor and Jacksonville lawmaker throw support behind local gas tax suspensions
A local push to implement a one-year gas tax holiday may be a heavier lift than Jacksonville city leaders initially thought.
The proposal would reduce gas prices by four- cents a gallon, but the city will need either the governor or the Florida Legislature to sign off for the tax cut to go into effect before the end of the year.
According to the Governor’s Office, the problem is that to waive the statute that prevents local governments from changing taxes in the middle of the year, he’d have to declare a state of emergency.
So, we asked Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday if that’s an option on the table.
“We did get a gas tax holiday in the budget. I wanted it to be more extensive,” said DeSantis.
The 25-cent holiday approved by the Florida Legislature this past session covers only October.
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In his response to our question, DeSantis went on to encourage local governments to do what they can to lower prices at the pump.
“Cut the tax if you want to cut the tax. We suspend it for some, I would like to do it even longer. If they want to punch that through in the special session, obviously I would be supportive of that,” said DeSantis.
State Rep. Jason Fischer (R-Jacksonville) told us he’s already working to do just that.
“I think that any city or county that wants to suspend their gas tax, should be able to suspend their gas tax. So, if we’re going to go back into special session, my goal is to make it a part of that call,” said Fischer.
Short of action from either the governor or Legislature, the soonest we could see a local gas tax holiday would be Jan. 1, 2023.
“Our people are being pinched at the pump and we need to have every tool available to help our constituents,” said Fischer.
When we last spoke with council members about the gas tax suspension in Duval, we were told an official bill was still in the early stages of being drafted.
The tax reduction is likely to take effect in June after the city receives $171 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds.
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