Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

A plan by Senate Democrats to suspend the federal gasoline tax until 2023 would reduce commuter traveling costs, undercut inflationary pressures and offer a look at oil company price gouging.

It’s a solid plan, and Republicans should make it a bipartisan effort. It’s an issue that affects every American, and particularly those who live in Republican-represented rural areas where people have to drive further to work.

Sens. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire have proposed suspending the 18.4 cent per gallon federal gas tax in their Gas Price Relief Act. The plan would lower gas prices that have been averaging about $3.45 per gallon nationwide ($3.30 per gallon in Mankato) this year, up about a dollar a gallon since last year. Federal gas tax collections go into the Highway Trust Fund that helps build and repair roads and bridges. The Democrats’ plan would replace gas tax funds with general funds into the highway account. While that’s not ideal given federal deficit spending, the plan is temporary in nature and would therefore minimize fiscal pressure.

While the big benefits would include lowering gas prices and tamping down inflation, it would also allow a kind of test period to see if overall prices fell by as much as the gas tax was reduced. If prices did not fall, it would be a tacit sign of oil company price gouging.

Such data would combine with President Joe Biden’s actions to put more emphasis and resources into investigating violations of federal anti-trust laws. The ability to see how gasoline retailers and refiners react to the gas tax removal would provide insight into whether the market is competitive or a monopoly.

The tax break would come a time when gas prices may likely rise due to demand from workers going back to their offices and workplaces as the omicron virus continues to wane.

Passage of the Gas Price Relief Act would show the country that once again, as it did with the infrastructure bill, Congress can work together for the good of all Americans.

— Mankato Free Press