Gas tax hike expected to bring Maryland motorists across the line

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Delaware gas pumps are expected to remain a popular destination for residents of neighboring states.

Come July, residents in nearby Maryland communities are expected to flock to the state when the fuel tax was hiked in a controversial move by that state’s General Assembly. Delaware and Maryland gas tax rates had been nearly identical. AAA Mid-Atlantic notes that fuel taxes are collected by both the federal government and individual states.

The current federal gas tax rate is 18.4 cents per gallon (and has not been raised since 1993).  State gas tax rates vary.

According to the American Petroleum Institute the average state and federal tax on a gallon of gasoline in Pennsylvania is 50.7 cents, Delaware, 41.4 cents; and New Jersey, 32.9 cents.

The United States average is 48.3 cents per gallon. Pennsylvania has the 15th highest gas tax rates in the nation, and New Jersey has one of the lowest fuel tax rates.

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Gas stations in Maryland  appeared to be getting motorists ready for the increase, with prices four cents higher in Elkton than in neighboring Bear-Glasgow.

“Every day is tax day for motorists when they fill up at the gas pump – for the most part, they just don’t recognize it,” said Jim Lardear, director of public and government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic.  “Gas taxes pay for our roads, but vary widely by state (Pennsylvania has the highest gas tax rate in the Mid-Atlantic region), which is why motorists often fill up when visiting friends and family across the river in New Jersey or when traveling through Delaware.”

 

 

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