(WXYZ) — Leaders in the Michigan Legislature said they plan to vote on legislation to suspend the state's gas tax.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey and House Speaker Jason Wentworth, both Republicans, said the pause would remove the 27 cents per gallon tax on gas and diesel fuel products for the next six months.
It comes amid a massive rise in gas prices with the state nearing record average prices. As of Wednesday, the average price in metro Detroit is around $4.25 per gallon.
The House voted to pass the bill Wednesday and the Senate is expected to vote on the bill next week.
The governor's office issued the following statement about the bill Wednesday:
“Governor Whitmer is always working to lower costs and save drivers money. Right now, the best way to bring down the price of gas without impacting our ability to fix the damn roads is by suspending the federal gas tax. As Michiganders continue to feel the pinch of higher costs, it’s more important than ever before for the legislature to pass Governor Whitmer’s plan to eliminate the retirement tax to save seniors $1,000 per year on average and cut taxes for working families to put $3,000 back in people’s pockets each year.”
On Tuesday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined a group of other governors calling on U.S. Congress to suspend the federal gas tax.
According to a press release from the Michigan governor’s office, Whitmer and the other governors wrote a letter to Congressional leadership urging a suspension to the federal gas tax until the end of the year to help combat rising gas prices.
