Crist Considers Suspending Summertime Gas Tax

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Gas Tax Holiday May Prove Little Benefit

MIAMI (CBS4) ― Following on the heels of Arizona Senator John McCain's call for the elimination of the federal gas tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day,
Florida Governor Charlie Crist says he wouldn't be opposed to the idea of suspending the state's gas tax during the summer travel season.

Wednesday Crist said he may ask the Legislature to consider lowering or suspending the state's 15.6 cents per gallon gas tax to give Florida residents and tourists a break at the pump.

While it may sound like a good idea, there are problems with it according to House Speaker Marco Rubio who points to a month-long 8-cent state gas tax cut in 2004. During that time, Rubio said many questioned whether retailers would pass along the entire savings to consumers. Also, some retailers and individuals hoarded gas before the tax break ended which threw off supplies.

CBS4.com did the math on the impact of a gas tax holiday, and found that average families would not even be able to purchase a ticket to a summer movie with their weekly savings.

For our calculations, we used a two car family, one car taking a 15 gallon weekly fillup, and a second taking a 25 gallon weekly fillup.

That family would use 40 gallons a week. The state gas tax in Florida is 15.6 cents per gallon. That would mean that family would save $6.24 weekly, or about $100 over the 4 months proposed for the tax holiday. That's less than a week's worth of gas at today's prices.

The cost of a movie ticket in South Florida averages $8.

According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in Florida is currently $3.42. That's up more than 50 cents from a year ago.

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