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The average price for a gallon of regular gas in West Virginia has gone from $3.10 last year to $3.99 this week, an increase of 23 percent, according to the AAA travel service.
“When government makes everything more expensive, the least it can do is get out of the way,” said Del. Chris Anders, R-Berkeley, chairman of the conservative West Virginia Freedom Caucus.
The group is calling on Morrisey to suspend all state fuel taxes for 90 days.
“Government shouldn’t profit when people are struggling to get to work or heat their homes,” said Del. Henry Dillon, R-Wayne, secretary of the Freedom Caucus. “This is a direct, immediate way to return money to the people.”
The Democratic caucus of the House of Delegates wants Morrisey to call a special session to address the high costs. Minority Leader Sean Hornbuckle, D-Cabell, said the group will hold a press conference Tuesday.
Del. John Williams, D-Monongalia, said fuel prices will soon impact the cost of food and regular household items.
“We just gave out a $300 million tax cut that’s going to largely benefit rich people. Why can’t we pass something that will affect average West Virginians who are paying too much at the pump?” Williams asked.
He said the cost of living is the biggest concern he hears from constituents, even before the U.S.-led war in Iran began six weeks ago.
“You have this wrench that gets thrown into things. I mean game-changing for families, for people who drive a lot, whether that’s driving their children to daycare, then going to work. I mean, people use a lot of gas in our state,” Williams said.
The Iran war is largely blamed for the price hike because it has disrupted crude oil supplies.
A spokesman for Morrisey said the office “will take a close look at any proposal to reduce taxes for everyday West Virginians and will continue to monitor our budget in upcoming months to see if we can build on the most recent income tax cut we provided to our citizens.”