Governor signs bill lifting Liquid Fuels Tax

Expect a little bit of relief at the gas pumps now. Governor Lou Leon Guerrero has quickly signed into law the bill to temporarily lift the Liquid Fuels Tax, which means an estimated $0.23 a gallon in savings at your local service station.

"I had also spoken to the major gas companies and they did say to me, and I know that they also said it to the speaker that that cost will be deducted from the per gallon cost," the governor explained. She favored the bill by Senator Joe San Agustin as it called for a six-month moratorium on the tax instead of a permanent repeal, as was proposed in Speaker Therese Terlaje's bill.

Terlaje though was the first to propose the tax holiday back in February, and Senator Jim Moylan got credit for pushing for an emergency session.

The governor says there may be some additional relief from soaring fuel costs in the works, noting, "Senator Joe San Agustin is also looking for ways that we can relieve the power as a result of the increase in gas prices and so we will see what happens in the next few months."

The Public Utilities Commission has approved a nearly 14 percent Guam Power Authority rate hike in July. The governor provided $15 million in American Rescue Plan money to help hold down a previous rate increase last year.

Meanwhile, she said she's encouraged by news that President Joe Biden is also weighing different relief measures. The White House is reportedly still deciding whether to authorize a federal gas tax holiday, the distribution of gas rebate cards, and the release of domestic oil reserves to help ease prices at the pump.