Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and state lawmakers have agreed to a one-month suspension of the state’s 37 cents per gallon gas tax — the eighth-highest amount in the country. Hogan will still need to sign an emergency bill once it gets to his desk.

Lawmakers in Maryland are attempting to alleviate the cost of gas, as prices have risen nearly 33% since the beginning of the year. The average cost in Maryland is $4.30 a gallon while the D.C. region is seeing an average of $4.46 a gallon, according to GasBuddy.com.

“At this time of global uncertainty due to Russian aggression, we are working with our legislative partners on an emergency suspension of the gas tax to help with the pain at the pump,” Hogan said in a statement on Twitter. Hogan also supports eliminating the automatic annual increases to the tax that’s tied to inflation, but that was not ironed out in this negotiation.

The hope is that temporarily getting rid of the tax would let gas station owners reduce their prices. But some critics say gas prices may organically come down and gas station owners could then pocket the difference.

As WBAL reports, the tax break will cost the state $100 million in transportation funding. Lawmakers say the state can absorb that hit for now, and will even revisit if the tax needs to be suspended longer.

D.C.’s gas tax comes in at 29 cents a gallon, while Virginia charges 16 cents a gallon. The federal government taxes 18 cents a gallon on all sales. Some politicians have called for temporarily suspending the federal gas tax as well.

Thursday, Maryland State Comptroller and gubernatorial candidate Peter Franchot called for a three-month break on the tax. He also proposed sending $2,000 checks to low-income residents after the state announced a $7 billion surplus Thursday.

In Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin has turned down a request from Democrats to declare a state of emergency because of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. That would’ve allowed the state’s attorney general to go after stations accused of price gouging at the pump.

House Democratic Leader Eileen Filler-Corn says the emergency declaration would activate the Virginia Post-Disaster Anti-Price Gouging Act and provide the Attorney General “with powerful tools to protect Virginians from unconscionable prices at the pump.”

A Youngkin spokesperson said the high prices are not price-gouging related and Democrats are playing politics.

Former Gov. Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency after the Colonial Pipeline was hacked by Russians. Filler-Corn said former Attorney General Mark Herring’s office was able to return thousands of dollars to victims.

Previously
Gas Prices Reach $4.19 Average In D.C. Region, The Highest In At Least 10 Years