Virginia GOP seeks 90‑day gas tax pause amid price surge
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- Virginia GOP proposed a 90‑day pause on the state’s 32‑cent‑per‑gallon gas tax to blunt rising pump prices blamed on the Iran‑Hormuz conflict.
- Virginia House could pass the tax‑pause legislation when it reconvenes on April 22.
- Virginia legislature could embed the pause in a budget bill sent to Gov. Abigail Spanberger for signature on April 23.
- Governor Abigail Spanberger blamed President Donald Trump’s “ill‑defined and unpopular war in Iran” for gasoline prices climbing above $4 per gallon, up from $2.93 a month ago per AAA.
- Virginia’s state budget would lose about $125 million a month in road‑maintenance revenue if the gas tax were suspended, but Republicans say the surplus could cover the shortfall.
- Democrats have opposed the tax suspension and have not funded the $2,500 EV rebate program created in 2021, which remains unfunded after the Inflation Reduction Act tax credits were ended by Trump in September.
- Mike O’Conner of the Virginia Petroleum & Convenience Marketers Association noted over 5,700 gas stations in the state and said adding chargers at stations could ease range anxiety for EV drivers.
Why it matters: Drivers would see temporary relief at the pump, but the state would lose about $125 million a month in road‑maintenance funds, shifting the fiscal burden to the surplus. The debate also highlights a split over EV incentives, leaving low‑income motorists and the EV market without clear support.
Ask SkimNews
