In the spring, Gov. Ned Lamont wanted to suspend Connecticut’s gas tax for a month. The legislature did not go along. This fall, with gas far more expensive and an election weeks away, Republicans want it suspended through the end of the year. Now Mr. Lamont is the one asking how the state would pay for it.
The numbers are not in dispute. According to WFSB, gas in Connecticut averaged $4.45 a gallon on Oct. 5, $1.34 more than a year earlier. The Northeast Independent, citing AAA, put the Oct. 2 average for regular at about $4.46, against about $3.13 a year before, with diesel near $6.48. The state takes 25 cents a gallon on gasoline and 49.9 cents on diesel.
The Republican plan
On Oct. 1, House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora of North Branford and Senate Republican Leader Stephen Harding asked the governor to call an immediate special session and suspend both taxes through Dec. 31. By the party’s math, the suspension would save drivers about $2.75 on an 11-gallon tank of gas and $5.49 on 11 gallons of diesel.
It would cost about $128 million, and the Republicans have a source in mind. According to the Northeast Independent, state fiscal estimates project the Special Transportation Fund will end the fiscal year with a $643.4 million balance. Republicans describe the fund as approaching nearly $650 million in reserves and projected surplus.
“It’s not just about the war, but certainly the war could be stopped. But it’s not. So in the meantime, what relief could Connecticut provide for its residents? This is one way,” Mr. Candelora said, according to WFSB.
He also aimed at the governor’s framing. “Right now he has cover. He can just blame President Trump and blame the war in Iran as the cause and walk away,” he said. “But people don’t want that kind of blame game; they want action and results.”
State Senator Paul Cicarella of North Haven said the suspension would save drivers nearly $3 a fill-up. “We can easily do it now, and hopefully my colleagues aren’t putting politics over people,” he told WFSB.
The governor’s position
Mr. Lamont’s answer has not changed: the gas tax pays for roads and bridges.
“They have to come forward and say, ‘How do you pay for this? How do you pay for it?’” he said on Oct. 1. “I know they’ll say, ‘We have a surplus; we’ll burn through it and figure it out next time.’ That’s just the attitude that has gotten this state into trouble for the last 25 years.”
A few days later, he reminded reporters of the spring. “I tried to do this back when we were in session and they said no, not necessary. The war in Iran is going to be short lived, don’t worry about it,” he said. “You just have to tell me how we pay to rebuild our roads and bridges.” Asked directly whether he would call the session, he said: “Only if you tell me how we’re going to pay for it.”
WFSB has reported that the spring proposal, made when gas was about $3.50, was backed by Senate Democrats but not by House Democrats. Mr. Lamont, for his part, has said “the legislature” chose to put money elsewhere, including education. “You just can’t do everything,” he said.
The precedent
Connecticut has suspended the tax before. In 2022, according to the Northeast Independent, lawmakers suspended the 25-cent gas tax, saving drivers nearly $275 million by state figures, and restored it gradually over the first four months of 2023. Republicans point to that precedent. The governor points to the bill that came due afterward.
The election
The fight is also about the Nov. 3 election. Mr. Lamont is seeking another term. His Republican opponent, Ryan Fazio, told WFSB on Oct. 9 that he wants the gas, diesel and home heating oil taxes all suspended through year’s end, “funded through the existing balance in the transportation fund.”
The governor has offered a different kind of relief. He told WFSB that the state has set aside $500 million in what he calls a “Trump relief fund,” and that he will ask legislative leaders to use some of it to help with heating costs, which he said “could go up 70% or 80% this year, thanks to the war in Iran.” As of Oct. 9, he said the numbers were still being worked out.
Where it stands
As of WFSB’s Oct. 5 report, no special session had been called; on Oct. 1, the station reported that one was “not looking likely.” The Northeast Independent noted that the plan would need both the governor and the Democratic-controlled legislature to agree. Mr. Cicarella said he believes more pressure could change the governor’s mind.
The argument is about who pays: drivers now, or the transportation fund later. Mr. Lamont has made the second argument in a year when the first is easier to sell.
Featured image: The Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford. Photo by Bmzuckerman via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
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