Gubernatorial campaigns float gas tax suspensions as gas prices tick up across Michigan

Both Michigan gubernatorial candidates — Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Republican U.S. Rep. John James — have floated suspending the gas tax on some level —federal or state — as affordability at the gas pump has become a central issue in the November election. 

Those calls from both sides of the aisle come as gas prices have risen and stayed high in Michigan and nationally — according to GasBuddy, the average gas price in Michigan is $4.598, the 11th-highest statewide average, while AAA lists the statewide average even higher at $4.6254. Gas prices have risen steadily since Donald Trump committed the United States to a war against Iran, which has disrupted global oil markets and contributed to higher fuel prices.

James called on Monday for the suspension of both the federal gas tax, which is 18 cents, and the state gas tax, which is 52.4 cents, in order to provide relief to Michigan drivers. 

“Michigan has some of the highest gas prices in the country and Michigan families are getting crushed at the pump. Enough is enough,” James said in a video posted to social media. “Right now, I’m calling on Michigan Democrats to stop playing political games with your money and declare a state of emergency to suspend the state gas tax.”

However, it is not just state legislators across the aisle from James who oppose suspending the state gas tax. Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) told Bridge Michigan in mid-September that he would not support a suspension in the state gas tax and said, “I certainly don’t want to pause all the great work we’re doing to fund our local roads.”

That tax is one of two main components of road funding in Michigan, along with a wholesale tax on marijuana products, and state legislators have warned that any suspension of the state gas tax, even temporarily, would jeopardize the state’s ability to continue improving its roads.

A spokesperson for Hall’s office did not respond to a request for comment from Michigan Advance to confirm if his stance on the gas tax has changed. This story will be updated when a response is received.

Meanwhile on the Democratic side of the ticket, Senate Majority Leader Bridget Brinks (D-Grand Rapids), the Democratic lieutenant governor nominee, when asked at an event Monday in Grand Rapids if she would support suspending the state gas tax, said that she would “certainly like to keep that door open.”

“We all certainly hoped that this war would come to a much more swift end than it has and as the pressure mounts on people’s pocketbooks and the price continues to rise, I think that’s something that could potentially be considered at the state level as well,” Brinks said. “We’ll return this week to Lansing, we’ll have some conversations with legislators about how they would like to approach this, and we’ll certainly remain in conversation as the candidates for governor and lieutenant governor with the Legislature to see if that’s an appropriate thing to do.”

That statement from Benson’s running mate seemed to depart from the campaign’s previous stance on the issue — in mid-September, Benson issued a press release calling for the suspension of the federal gas tax in which she called on the U.S. Congress to “immediately return to session and remain in session until a federal gas tax holiday is passed” and to end the war in Iran that has led to the spike in gas prices.

In that statement, however, she warned that suspending the state gas tax would have significant state-level budget impacts.

“Trump started this disaster, and if he and John James want to lower costs — they need to end it. That’s why I’m calling on the federal government to suspend its tax, not the state of Michigan,” Benson said. “Suspending the state gas tax would only blow a hole in our budget, force us to forgo necessary road repairs, and hurt Michigan families. It’s a risk we cannot take — and one we should not have to, as Michigan did not start this war, Donald Trump did. 

Benson campaign spokesperson Rajan Srinivasan said in a statement to the Advance following Brinks’s comments that Benson “supports conversations in the legislature to lower costs for Michigan families since James and the federal government have failed to do their job, end this war, and suspend the federal gas tax.”