Gas Tax going up a penny in an election year

New Jersey’s Gas Tax will increase by one penny per gallon on October 1, giving some Republicans another issue to run on in the fall midterm elections.

The gas was approved in 2016 by Gov. Chris Christie and the legislature to support the state’s Transportation Trust Fund’s eight-year, $16 billion infrastructure improvement plan.  The law requires automatic annual adjustments to the tax to generate about $2 billion annually based on revenues.

Last year, the gas tax went down one penny; it also dropped 8.3 cents in October 2021, Gov. Phil Murphy’s re-election year.

“Because actual consumption in Fiscal Year 2023 was slightly below our projections made last August, primarily due to lower diesel use, and because consumption in the current fiscal year is projected to be just above last fiscal year’s levels, our analysis of the formula dictates a 0.9 cent increase this coming October,” said State Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio.  “As mandated by the 2016 law, this dedicated funding stream continues to provide billions of dollars across the state to support crucial transportation infrastructure needs.”

The law was written to cause the gas tax to go up for down on October 1, just before the election.

Two Democratic State Senate candidates in competitive races, John Burzichelli (D-Paulsboro) and Joseph Lagana (D-Paramus), each voted for the gas tax while serving in the State Assembly.   A third, Assemblyman Paul Moriarty (D-Washington Township), abstained.

State Sen. Andrew Zwicker (D-South Brunswick) voted against the gas tax when he was an assemblyman in 2016.   So did Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange), who served as lieutenant governor from 2018 until her death one month ago.