Pennsylvania Diesel Tax Drops 4.4¢, Still Among Highest in US
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Pennsylvania truckers are paying slightly less for diesel this year, thanks to lower average wholesale fuel prices last year that caused the state revenue department’s motor fuel tax rate calculation to drop to 2022 levels.
“An overwhelming majority of the trucking companies in Pennsylvania are small businesses, so any amount saved really does make a difference,” said Rebecca Oyler, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association.
This year, the state Department of Revenue reduced motor fuel tax rates for diesel to 74.1 cents per gallon (4.4 cents lower) and gasoline 57.6 cents a gallon (3.5 cents less) compared to 2023 fees levied. Every year no later than Dec. 15, the state announces motor fuel taxes rates for the coming year based on its calculation of the average annual wholesale price of gasoline, with a floor rate of $2.99 per gallon.
“For the 12-month period ending Sept. 30, 2023, the [Revenue] Department has determined that the average wholesale price for all grades of gasoline and diesel fuel was $2.84 per gallon, therefore, the average wholesale price for 2024 is set at the floor of $2.99 per gallon,” according to a Dec. 9 bulletin from the state’s revenue department.
The fuel tax rates last year were higher due to steeper average wholesale fuel prices in 2022. While the decline is welcome, Oyler noted that fuel costs remain a challenge for motor carriers in the state.
Oyler
“Even with this decrease, Pennsylvania still has one of the highest state diesel taxes in the United States,” she said. “This is a step in the right direction, but ultimately lowering fuel taxes in Pennsylvania will take changing how state transportation funding is collected.”
She said PMTA is working with state legislators now “on how to solve this problem in the long term in a way that’s fair and encourages trucking companies to thrive in Pennsylvania and support a growing economy.”
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