In response to high gasoline prices, President Biden is urging the U.S. Congress to enact legislation to suspend for three months (July-September) the 18 cent tax per gallon of gasoline and 24 cent tax per gallon of diesel.  This will cost the Highway Trust Fund $10 billion in lost gas tax revenues. These revenues are used to pay for the Federal-Aid Highway Program that was recently reauthorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) enacted into Public Law last November.   Furthermore, President Biden is calling on state and local governments to enact similar gas tax relief bills.

A suspension of the gas tax will not guarantee a decrease in the price of gasoline and will make it harder to fund future highway improvement projects.  The gas tax user fee provides a dedicated revenue source for the Highway Trust Fund.  Further eroding the user fee, which has not been raised since 1993, weakens the user fee concept and introduces greater uncertainty for state transportation departments trying to budget for highway improvement projects.  Moreover, a gas tax holiday creates unpredictability for asphalt contractors trying to plan their businesses.  

If Congress succeeds in enacting legislation mandating a gas tax holiday, it will set a dangerous precedent that during times of economic strife, a gas tax holiday is a viable solution for federal and state lawmakers.   It is imperative for the asphalt pavement industry to speak out against legislation to dilute the single largest revenue contributor to the Highway Trust Fund. 

Click here for the letter NAPA and our coalition partners sent to the President opposing the suspension of gas taxes.  

Click here to tell your member of Congress to vote no on any gas tax holiday legislation!