GasBuddy predicts $4.25 price will go higher; GOP says it won’t suspend Indiana gas tax
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — For the first time since the Russia-Ukraine crisis, GasBuddy reports the average price of regular unleaded gasoline has topped $4 in Indiana.
Many stations’ signs listed the price for a gallon of regular at $4.25 late Monday afternoon. As of Monday afternoon, Indiana’s average was $4.03.
Meanwhile, Indiana lawmakers said Monday they are not likely to consider lowering the state gas tax of 32 cents a gallon.
GasBuddy reports that prices are up 49 cents since last week, 67 cents since last month and 131 cents since a year ago.
Motorist Deiatra Reed told News 8 about her search for a good price. “The more you go across town, the higher it gets. Look at Shell’s, for instance. $4.25. That’s ridiculous.”
Curtis Humphry, who also visited a gas pump Monday, said, “Overpriced, way too high. I hope they don’t get up to $5. If gas prices get up to $5, we are going to have no other choice but to walk.”
Hoosier drivers can expect to see the cost rise more.
Patrick De Haan, an oil and refined products analyst with GasBuddy, said Monday, “The problem is that global consumption is nearly at 100 million barrels a day, and the problem is that Russia is a significant producer of about 10 million barrels a day of oil production, and, suddenly with the loss of Russian oil, the balance has been significantly tipped in a way we’ve never fully seen before.”
At the Indiana Statehouse on Monday, lawmakers said they do not support suspending Indiana’s fuel tax right now due to high prices.
Sen. Ryan Mishler, a Republican from Bremen, cited President Joe Biden’s decision in January 2021 to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline, which had been proposed in 2008 to bring oil from Canada’s Western tar sands to U.S. refineries.
Mishler said about the rising gas prices, “They should have thought of that before they did the pipeline decision,” and then laughed.
Rep. Tim Brown, a Republican from Crawfordsville, spoke specifically on Indiana’s gas tax, which goes toward transportation needs. “I think we have a highway funding plan that took into account that gas prices would be volatile and would increase, and so our funding plan going forward is dependent on that small portion of the gas tax.”
Mishler agreed with Brown. “So when we did it, we did it at a time when gas prices were very high, and so we had more coming in, nd now they’ve dipped and we have less coming in. So, it’s more of a cyclical on that. You have to weigh the ups and downs when you do the formula. So, it all equals out in the end.”
Statement
“With Respect to ‘GasBuddy predicts $4.25 price will go higher; GOP says it won’t suspend Indiana gas tax’, the position outlined by Ryan Mishler does not reflect how many Republican voters feel, and is an abhorrent position to take on the issue of the Gas Tax. Our legislators should not be laughing while thousands of Hoosiers are suffering as a result of increased gas prices, some of which could be alleviated by them. Our legislators should work in the interest of the everyday American, and saying they should have ‘thought of that before they did the pipeline decision’ shows the huge disconnect between our legislators and their constituents.
“Indiana is boasting a multi-billion dollar surplus, and returning that to Hoosiers as 125 dollars of tax refund per person. Meanwhile, that 125 dollars means nothing when those citizens are going to pay more than that in fuel or inflation-related increases. A one-time payment of 125 means nothing when you can’t feed your family, pay your bills, or make a car payment each month. The tax-bracket that our legislators largely represent aren’t the ones feeling the heat of our burning economy. They are seated in their air-conditioned homes, while most Hoosiers are seeing their hard-earned cash be eaten by the flames.
“Indiana leadership must either temporarily cut or suspend the gas tax in order to make a difference, and the comments from Mr. Mishler reflects the fact that our leadership is out of touch with the reality a majority of Hoosiers are dealing with. Hoosiers should reach out to their State Representatives, State Senators, and Governor Holcomb, and urge them to temporarily suspend or cut the gas tax to alleviate the pressure on lower-middle class Hoosiers.”
Pierce Fischer, Democrat candidate for state representative in Indiana House District 11