Joe Cunningham Renews Call for Temporary Suspension of State Gas Tax

Former Congressman and current Democratic candidate for Governor Joe Cunningham today renewed his call for the General Assembly to temporarily suspend the gas tax to help South Carolinians with the recent spike in gas prices. The price of gasoline has skyrocketed amid lingering supply chain issues and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Cunningham originally called for the gas tax suspension back in November, when gas prices hit a 7-year high. Now, with experts warning that gas prices could stay at current record levels through much of this year, Cunningham is again calling on the legislature to take swift action to ease the pain at the pump for South Carolina families.

“Gas prices are out of control for a variety of reasons and it’s time for South Carolina to take action to help families save money at the tank,” said Cunningham. “By suspending the gas tax and supplementing the lost revenue with American Rescue Plan funds or money from the state’s budget surplus, we can ease the financial burden on South Carolinians without delaying or jeopardizing a single infrastructure project.”

Currently, the state gas tax is $0.26 per gallon. Cunningham’s campaign says suspending the gas tax would save a driver approximately $5 on each fill-up of a 20-gallon tank.

“The General Assembly could do this tomorrow,” Cunningham said. “It’s time to stop the blame game and focus on actually solving the problem at hand. This is a common-sense step that will benefit every single South Carolinian. I hope they will set politics aside and provide some much-needed relief to South Carolina families.”

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