Del. Conley hopes a Special Session will lead to gas tax suspension

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) - Governor Jim Justice responds to legislators that are asking him to suspend the state gas tax.

In his statement, the governor says he would love to suspend the 37.5 cent state gas tax, however says he cannot legally suspend it... and that only the legislature can.

The governor went on to state that gas prices aren’t going to be fixed by a temporary tax break.

Delegate Roger Conley of Wood County says that on this, he respectfully disagrees.

He says that as of last month, the state has over half of one billion dollars and believes that this is the time to use it.

“I would submit to you that that money is the taxpayers’ money,” Del. Conley says. “The taxpayers are hurting, so we need to put some of that money back where it came from... in the hands of the taxpayers, and even though it is a temporary fix, you know, hopefully it will get us down the road – whether it’s three months or six months – to where those prices will stop dropping.”

Delegate Conley says he expects a special session to be called as soon as late March and that he wrote Governor Justice to ask that this gas tax issue be included.

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