Special Meeting Scheduled for Monday, April 25
The Schenectady County Legislature will consider a resolution to cap the County’s gas tax, which includes gasoline and diesel motor fuel, at a Special Meeting on Monday, April 25 at 7pm.
Under the proposal the county tax on gasoline and diesel fuel would be capped at $2. This means if a gallon of gas cost $4, the county sales tax would be collected only on the first $2 – providing consumers a savings of .08 cent per gallon. The changes would take effect starting on June 1, 2022 and remain in place until February 28, 2023.
The state sales tax imposed on fuel, motor fuel and highway diesel was suspended as part of the 2023 NYS Budget from June 1 through December 31. At that time, New York State also gave counties the option to cap the price of their applicable local sales tax.
“Cutting the County’s gas tax is the right thing to do for our families, many of whom are struggling to make ends meet due to the increasing costs of food, fuel and other necessities,” said Anthony Jasenski, Chair of the Schenectady County Legislature. “COVID-19 created unprecedented challenges over the last 2 years. During that time Schenectady County government has continued to find ways to support our residents, from addressing the basic needs of the community by delivering groceries and connecting people in need to resources, to providing PPE, testing and vaccines. While our residents have been resilient, our families are now suffering from price increases and inflation. Reducing the gas tax is a continuation of these efforts to support our residents and provide some relief.”
The meeting will be streamed live on the County’s YouTube channel.