COMPTROLLER MYCHAJLIW UNVEILS “GAS TAX CALCULATOR”
Taxpayers have an easy to use tool to see how much pain at the pump is caused by high taxes
(Buffalo, NY) – Erie County Comptroller Stefan Mychajliw unveiled his “Gas Tax Calculator,” which allows taxpayers to type in the price they pay at the pump per gallon to see how much in taxes they will pay. The calculator determines how much already overburdened taxpayers shell out for each tax at the county, state and federal levels.
“Every taxpayer has the right to know exactly how much of their cost per gallon goes towards gasoline and how much is taken in taxes. Hopefully people will be empowered with this information and say ‘enough is enough.’ The message to politicians will be to ease pain at the pump by cutting taxes,” said Mychajliw.
Federal, State, and County charges create the formula that leads to Erie County taxpayers having some of the highest costs per gallon in the state and country. It also means taxpayers that purchase gasoline pay taxes on some taxes, not just the original cost of gasoline.
“People are being taxed on taxes. It is reprehensible and wrong,” said Mychajliw. “The Gas Tax Calculator sheds light on an overly complex system that takes money out of the pockets of hard working taxpayers. I hope people use our ‘Gas Tax Calculator’ and have a better understanding of how politicians and their taxes hurt consumers.”
The unveiling of the “Gas Tax Calculator” comes after the release of the Comptroller Mychajliw’s report on gasoline taxes. Legislator Ted Morton (R-Cheektowaga/Lancaster) also submitted a resolution to the Erie County Legislature calling for a cap on Erie County sales tax charged on gasoline. The proposed amount of ten cents per gallon would bring certainty to the county’s revenue stream and keep costs down when the price of gas eventually rises again.