HARTFORD, Conn — The state gas tax will be suspended starting Friday, but you might not see the savings right away. Not only that…some gas station owners say they could be left footing a big bill.
As a consumer, you will see savings eventually, but it’s only about $10 a month for the average driver. In Enfield, Connecticut on Thursday the price for a gallon of regular was $4.19, while just down the road in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, the price was $4.01.
“Yeah, it’s a little bit cheaper. It saves me a little extra cash in my pocket,” said Kathryn Dowding of Enfield, who usually fills up in Massachusetts.
It's a tale of two states. But in less than 24 hours, the script could be flipped to give Connecticut the temporary advantage when the 25-cent state gas tax gets suspended Friday. Sounds simple…right?
“Between the Attorney General and the Governor, we are getting mixed communication. We don't know who to listen to,” said Eddie Jamal, the owner of Phoenix Petrol.
Gov. Ned Lamont has suggested that gas station owners can take a few days to run through their existing supply, which they purchased at a higher price. It contradicts Attorney General Tong who said retailers must drop the tax on April 1. regardless.
“For every gas station owner and retailer we are watching very closely and we are going to hold people accountable,” said Tong.
Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff told FOX61 he understands the law isn’t perfect.
“They are supposed to reduce the gas tax by tomorrow but I think there’s a little bit of gray area there right now. It’s not a perfect system but let’s not let the perfect be the enemy of the good,” said Duff.
But for the little guy like Eddie Jamal who owns two gas stations in Bridgeport, losing up to $8,000 in a day doesn’t sound good.
“What if we get a 25-cent increase today which will hit us with tomorrow's low. So the tax went down 25-cents but the cost went up 25-cents. What are we supposed to do? Lose 25-cents just to make certain politicians happy?” he asked.
Jamal told FOX61 the only way not to take a loss would be to time a fuel delivery up exactly with the suspension of the tax.
“We have to keep the product in our tanks. Everybody is talking about running your inventory down and getting delivery on the 1st. That’s not easy. To get 1,000 plus stations a delivery in one day in Connecticut is not possible,” said Jamal.
Lawmakers told FOX61 that even if a gas station has to take a loss now on gas they purchased at a higher price, they should be able to make it up with the gas left in their tanks on July 1 when they can add the tax back onto the fuel they purchased at a lower price.
Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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