House Republican Press Release

May 14, 2007

Press Office: 860-240-8700

Rep. DelGobbo:  Naugatuck Families Need Gas Tax Holiday This Summer 

Relief at Pump Needed Most during Vacation Months

With regular gasoline already costing more than $3.00 a gallon and rising, the state legislature should enact a gas tax holiday that will enable Connecticut families to take their summer vacations without having to worry about accumulating excess debt, state Representative Kevin M. DelGobbo said today.

The Gas Tax Holiday, which would take place between Memorial Day and Labor Day, was unveiled by House Republican legislators at a news conference today, said Representative DelGobbo, R-Naugatuck, the House Ranking Member (Republican leader) on the budget-writing Appropriations Committee.

“The vacation months between Memorial Day and Labor Day is the peak driving time for most Naugatuck families – and for almost everyone else in Connecticut,” Representative DelGobbo said. “It also is the time of year when gasoline prices go through the roof. We already are paying among the highest gas prices in the country and if last summer was any indication, we can expect them to go up even more when school gets out and most families hit the road for their summer vacations.”

“One of the main reasons gasoline is as high as it is in our state is that Connecticut motorists pay a 25 cent per gallon state tax on gasoline. With the federal gas tax added, we pay a total of 55 cents for every gallon of gas – the third highest in the country,” Representative DelGobbo said. “While we can’t do much to affect the international market forces that are pushing up gas prices, we do have the power to lower the state gas tax and give motorists a substantial saving every time they fill their tanks.”

If the state legislature’s Democrat majority goes along with the House Republican proposal for a gas tax holiday, families who own cars with 12-gallon tanks would save $3.00 every time they fill up. The savings would amount to $3.75 on a 15-gallon tank; $4.25 on a 17 gallon tank; and $5.00 on a 20-gallon tank, Representative DelGobbo noted.

“The majority Democrats probably will complain that state government needs the obscene revenues that the gas tax will seize from Connecticut’s already over-taxed families this summer,” Representative DelGobbo said. “That is hogwash pure and simple. The state surplus is fast approaching a billion dollars, which could be tapped to make up a one-time revenue loss that will benefit everyone who is planning to take a summer vacation. It’s the right thing to do for Connecticut families and we ought to do it.”