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MAYVILLE – A slight gas tax reduction was approved by lawmakers in Chautauqua County on Wednesday night, however a legislator who represents those in Jamestown feels more could have been done to provide relief for rising costs.
The Chautauqua County Legislature voted 12 to 6 approving the resolution, first introduced by the county Democratic Caucus, that sets the gas tax cap at .12 cents.
Legislator Dave Wilfong tells us this will likely bring a relief of three cents a gallon at gas stations across the county.
The fixed rate will remain in place until the end of the year, with the tax reduction expected to have a neutral impact on budgeted sales tax revenues for the year.
However, Wilfong feels more could be done to help consumers, but, lawmakers have to be careful that there will not be negative impacts on local cities, towns and villages.
“They talked about maybe some property tax relief, which I thought was a good idea, I heard at another meeting about cash payments to individuals to school aged children,” said Wilfong. “I don’t know how much that would be, but, when you rob Peter, your paying Paul, so the same thing with our own, the City of Jamestown and Chautauqua County, when we decrease our sales tax revenue, our expenses themselves are going up, because we buy millions of dollars worth of asphalt, and we have all kinds of trucks.”
For example, a graph provided by lawmakers, shows that the City of Jamestown would lose out on $4,805.26, while smaller governments, like the Village of Falconer, would lose only $236.38.
A full breakdown on the expected financial impacts is posted here.
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