Would Gov. McMaster support suspending SC’s gas tax? Here’s what he said
Gov. Henry McMaster told reporters Monday that he would consider any proposal the Legislature sent him on dealing with the rising gas prices, but said any comment before seeing a bill would be too “premature.”
McMaster, who vetoed the gas tax in 2017 but lawmakers overrode it, would not say whether he’d sign legislation to suspend the state’s gas tax amid rising gas prices across the country. Other state legislatures have done so, and a bipartisan mix of Democrats and Republicans have pushed state leaders in South Carolina to make the move.
“My policy is that I’ve always had respect for the Legislature and look at anything they pass,” McMaster said Monday at a Columbia Metropolitan Airport hangar. “It would be premature to say.”
Lawmakers in other states, including Georgia and Maryland, have suspended their gas tax to help drivers save a little at the pump as the United State’s reports record high gas prices. In Maryland, residents now save 36.1 cents per gallon, and in Georgia they save 29.1 cents.
South Carolina drivers pay a 26-cent per gallon gas tax, which will go up to 28 cents come July. The tax brings in about $910 million a year to the state. Amounts are higher during the state’s warmer months as tourists visit South Carolina.
Republican lawmakers told The State recently they plan to push gas tax suspension legislation through the General Assembly this year, but neither of the Legislature’s budget chairmen have green lit that idea. State Transportation Secretary Christy Hall also has voiced concern over the move, saying recently it would likely result in delays for major interstate projects.
“If the revenue stream completely cut off with no back fill, and the money just disappears, then it would create a massive cash flow issue here at the DOT for our ability to meet current contractual obligations, ” Hall told The State.
On Monday, McMaster directed blame toward President Joe Biden, and his response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for rising gas prices.
The “weakness of the Biden administration has encouraged this kind of behavior,” McMaster said, also blaming the administration for not proving Ukraine with more aid.
“I wish they would have been stronger and never gotten into this situation,” he said.
This story was originally published March 21, 2022 at 1:49 PM with the headline "Would Gov. McMaster support suspending SC’s gas tax? Here’s what he said."
