North Carolina suspended its 41-cent fuel tax through Thanksgiving after Gov. Josh Stein signed bipartisan relief, with Republicans citing years of fiscal discipline.
The Center Square reported that Democratic Gov. Josh Stein signed the “Relief at the Pump” bill into law Friday. The cut takes effect immediately and runs through Nov. 30.
Lawmakers cleared the measure in a special session with almost no dissent. The House voted 111-1. The Senate followed 41-0. A single Guilford County Democrat cast the only no vote.
Drivers have been paying steep prices. AAA figures Friday morning showed North Carolina regular unleaded at $4.09 a gallon and diesel at $5.98. National averages stood at $4.37 for regular and $6.27 for diesel. Fourteen states posted lower unleaded prices. Thirteen beat North Carolina on diesel.
The bill pauses the full 41-cent state fuel tax. Revenue that would have gone to the Department of Transportation’s Highway Fund will instead come from the state’s Stabilization and Inflation Reserve account for the length of the suspension.
Sen. Phil Berger Jr., a Rockingham County Republican in his 13th term, put the cost at an estimated $362.3 million. He said the reserve holds about $518 million available. First-term Republican Treasurer Brad Briner, in published remarks, pointed to $11 billion in overall state reserves and said the draw would not hurt North Carolina’s top-level credit rating.
How fast pump prices fall remains unclear. Whether the drop will match the full 41 cents is also unsettled.
House Speaker Destin Hall, R-Caldwell, framed the pause as the product of earlier choices.
“Hardworking North Carolinians need relief at the gas pump, and help is on the way. Years of responsible budgeting have put North Carolina in a position to provide meaningful relief when families need it most, and pausing fuel taxes is another way House Republicans are working to make our state more affordable for everyone.”
Wilson Republican Sen. Buck Newton struck the same note in a release.
“Elected officials are hearing from hardworking North Carolinians every day who are feeling the strain of rising fuel costs. For the last 15 years, Republicans in the General Assembly have been good stewards of your tax dollars, which allows us to provide you relief at the pump.”
Georgia, Indiana, and Ohio have taken similar steps this year.
Gov. Stein signed the bill while casting the cut as temporary and incomplete.
“Rising grocery, utility, and gas prices are making the costs too high for people across our state. I am signing this bill to keep more money in people’s wallets, but this temporary relief is just one step. I remain committed to continuing to work with anyone who wants to make everyday living more affordable all year long, not just during election season.”
The governor’s own words place the relief inside a political calendar. The votes and the reserve numbers show something plainer: a legislature that built a surplus can now return part of it at the pump without gutting road funding.
Taxpayers get a break when the people holding the purse strings actually save first. North Carolina just proved the point.
