MARYLAND (DC New Now) — Maryland residents are going to see those gas prices climb again, as the gas tax is set to increase by seven cents on Friday.
It’s another blow to consumers’ pockets, and now, their travel plans. Just last week, Gov. Larry Hogan called on the General Assembly to implement another gas tax holiday. The state implemented a gas tax holiday back in March, which expired in April.
In D.C., Pres. Joe Biden asked congress to suspend the 18 cent per-gallon federal gas tax through September to help Americans spend less at the pump.
For Marylanders, removing the federal and state tax would save residents about 54 cents per gallon — that’s about 11.2 percent of a gallon of gas.
WDVM spoke to resident Alexina Jackson as she filled up her truck at a station in Bethesda. She says the high costs have her canceling travel plans, including a road trip with her dog.
“I thought about either delaying it, maybe would move it in case the prices came down,” said Jackson. “If they stay the same, maybe changing the distance I would go. I even thought about an R-V, but that’s probably less likely…because of the volume of gas that uses.”
Jackson says the rising costs are also stopping her from making the trip to see her parents as frequently as she used to. It costs her about $90 to fill up her tank, saying the increased gas tax will keep her off the roads more often.
Currently, the state’s gas tax is just below 37 cents a gallon. Once the increase goes into effect, the gas tax would bump up to just under 44 cents a gallon.