FREE BUS RIDES BUT NO GAS TAX RELIEF
This week the General Assembly is considering legislation that would make RIPTA free of charge. Today, the House Finance Committee is having a hearing on H7448. On Thursday, the Senate Finance Committee scheduled a vote on S2015.
Many of the legislators who support these bills also supported S872 and H6310, which would have created a new tax on gasoline known as the TCI tax. The TCI tax passed the Senate 28-9 (Senate Journal 6/22/21).
Meanwhile, Governor Dan McKee, House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio continue to refuse to suspend the state gas tax, like other northeastern states have done, although gas is above $5 a gallon and Rhode Island has an $878 million surplus.
The R.I. Republican Party has the following comment:
“Last week, we speculated that Democratic state house politicians were refusing to reduce the state gas tax because they were listening to radical environmentalists who want to keep the price of gas high in order to penalize people for driving a gasoline-powered car.
This week we see some evidence of that. Instead of suspending the state gas tax, which would benefit most Rhode Islanders, state house Democrats rather spend money on free bus rides.
Most Rhode Islanders drive a car, and some live in places that do not have easy access to RIPTA. Although the average Rhode Islander wants lower gas prices, state house Democrats won’t do anything about it.
Their agenda is to force people to drive their gasoline-powered cars less and to ride RIPTA more.
Next time you see the governor, your senator, or your representative, ask them: Why do we have enough money to give away free bus passes but not enough to suspend the gas tax?