Orange County Republicans Block Gas Tax Relief for Drivers

Last week the Orange County Legislature failed to pass a measure intended to relieve drivers from exorbitantly high gas prices. Proposed by Legislator Stephen Hunter, the resolution would have capped the County’s gas sales tax at $3.00 per gallon. The proposal was far from radical. Dutchess, Putnam, Rockland and Ulster Counties have already adopted similar resolutions for their constituents. Moreover, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Legislature went further and implemented a tax cap on costs exceeding $2.00 per gallon.

Notwithstanding, during the April 28 vote, every attending member of the Republican caucus inexplicably voted against the resolution. Why? It’s no secret that the high cost of living will be a foremost issue this midterm election. High gas prices are only the freshest pain point voters have been forced to suffer. For our local Republican lawmakers, the sales tax cap would have constituted meaningful progress toward remedying some of the harm done to their constituents by the President’s illegal and widely unpopular war with Iran. Furthermore, in Orange’s case, Republican legislators could have reaped the benefit without the need to introduce the resolution themselves, which could be viewed as a tacit admission that the cost of living is in fact inflated, and that it happened under a Republican administration. How easy it would have been to take up such a laudable cause without taking a hit politically. Rather than grasp the hand extended to them, Republican lawmakers swatted it away and doubled-down on partisanship.

The justifications proffered for the “no” vote are less than compelling. When confronted with criticism by James Skoufis, one Republican county legislator offered no substantive explanation for her vote, instead deflecting by accusing the state senator of “making this a red-blue issue.” The absurdity that several of these same members ran on affordability issues in an election which occurred less than one year ago should not be lost.

Another Republican legislator offered a more measured rebuttal, arguing that further limiting the tax base could have a “devastating impact” on our towns and villages, alluding to a recent revelation that under County Executive Steve Neuhaus, the County has been illegally oversharing sales tax revenue since 2014. Unless legislation is enacted at the state level, the flub is estimated to leave local municipalities facing a $20 million deficit in 2026.

Maybe the eight Republicans who voted down the tax cap weren’t motivated by factional pettiness, but concern that the County couldn’t afford to forgo any other revenue stream. What’s clear, however, is that any financial hardship the County currently faces today was entirely self-imposed. Because of County leadership’s mismanagement, the people of Orange were told that their local government was unable (at best), or unwilling (at worst) to help them. And even if Republican lawmakers acted in good-faith, the unfortunate reality of this situation is that it will be those of us who live, work and drive in Orange County who pay the price.