Breaking News

By Tiffany Razzano

As gas prices steadily continue to rise across New York State - and at an even faster rate on the East End of Long Island - Assemblyman Fred Thiele, as part of a team of State Assembly Republicans, is calling for the temporary elimination of state gas taxes from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Thiele and his team of legislators is calling for the suspension of the three state taxes on gas - the 8-cent motor fuel tax, the 8-cent sales tax and the 16-cent Petroleum Business Tax - as the bustling summer season approaches, in order to encourage vacationers to travel to the East End and other areas of the state. This summer gas relief would average a savings of 30 cents per gallon for gasoline and 35 cents per gallon for diesel fuel.

"Summer tourism is so vitally important to [our] economy and I'm really concerned that the high price of gasoline will make middle class families think twice before taking that long weekend trip out to [this] part of Long Island," Thiele said. "The legislature can't continue to sit on the sidelines and hope things will get better. We need positive action for motorists now."

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