STATEMENT: Unpopular TCI Gas Tax Remains on Legislative Back Burner

Rhode Island Follows Connecticut’s Lead, For now

TCI Gas Tax Scheme Stalls in the House

With gasoline prices at recent national highs, and with the Ocean State jobs market seeing the slowest recovery among all states, the Rhode Island House of Representatives wisely kept the TCI Gas Tax on the back burner, before recessing last evening from their regular 2021 legislative session.

Last month, the State of Connecticut said “no” to the TCI Gas Tax, killing the regional gas tax idea in the Nutmeg State. With the Rhode Island General Assembly also saying no for now, Massachusetts is the only state among the original 14 states still considering this costly, job-killing gas tax scheme.

“Ocean State House leaders apparently understand that as our state struggles to recover, economically, from the pandemic … now is not the time to impose new taxes at the pump. It would be cruel for lawmakers to impose this fuel tax, which will especially harm rural and low-income residents, just so the elite can receive a subsidy for their expensive electric vehicles,” stated Mike Stenhouse, the Center’s CEO. “Motorists must remain vigilant and demand that the House not follow the Senate’s lead, by considering this destructive legislation in the upcoming special fall session of the General Assembly.”

Motorists are encouraged to take action and to continue to tell lawmakers to say no to the the TCI Gas Tax here.

Such a highly highly regressive gas tax, and the projected $1200 per family cost, according to research and a poll conducted by the Center, are highly unpopular among the public. A petition opposing TCI has already generated about 15,000 emails to state lawmakers.

In March, the Center unilaterally called on McKee to withdraw from TCI, however the issue remains open in the General Assembly. A May open letter to the Governor by the Center, listing 12 coalition signatories and a range of reasons not to join the TCI compact, can be found on the Center’s website, here.