Inflation in the United States is now the major economic and political fact in the country, driven in particular by the price of gasoline. President Joe Biden is calling for a suspension of fuel taxes over the summer.
With our correspondent in Washington, Guillaume Naudin
A measure supposed to last 90 days. Either the time to let vacations and summer trips go by, or 90 days of respite offered to American consumerswho have the impression of squander their savings every time they fill up. The federal gas tax is 18 cents per gallon (just under 4 litres). In a country totally dependent on the car, this counts, even if compared to what is practiced elsewhere, and especially in Europeit is finally quite little.
However, this is beyond the powers of the president. Because it is not a decision, but a call, almost a call for help: a call to Congress, which is the decision maker in the matter. Except that even among the Democrats, not everyone agrees with him.
So you should probably not count on the Republicans. In this election year, they relentlessly accuse the president of being responsible for inflation. ” Fake “, says Joe Biden, who since the invasion of Ukraine has not stopped talking about the price hike of Vladimir Putin. He says he understands the pain of his compatriots and talks about it almost daily. To appeal to Congress therefore, but also to the States, which have their own taxes and to the oil companies. A few days ago he was saying that they made more money than God.
He is now asking them not to take advantage of the situation and pass on to the penny a reduction in taxes that he can only suggest.
By suspending the federal gas tax of 18 cents for the next 90 days, we can lower the price of gas and give families some respite. I call on companies to pass this reduction on to consumers, to the nearest penny. Now is not the time to take advantage of it. But we can also lower the price of gasoline in another way. That’s why my second decision is to call on the states to either suspend their fuel taxes as well, or find some other way to give some respite. Some states have already acted. I call on more state and local governments to do so. Thanks to our historic economic recovery, which has bolstered state budgets that had suffered during the pandemic, states are now strong enough to afford to do so.
US President Joe Biden calls for a suspension of fuel taxes