HAGERSTOWN, Md. (WDVM) — The gas tax suspension that took effect 30 days ago was a big help to Marylanders, but it will officially expire Saturday and people are once again worried about how they plan to pay at the pump.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February led to gas prices spiking here in the US. It was more than four dollars a gallon in most places. The Maryland government announced a 30-day gas tax suspension. But, now drivers are worried about what prices they will face come Sunday.

“I have a pretty long commute to work,” Pennsylvania resident Steven Bowser said. “So having this suspension has definitely helped save some money on the bills.”

Republicans in the statehouse pushed to extend the suspension an additional forty-five days, but Democrats voted against it. They argued despite a budget surplus extending the suspension would have a heavy impact on state road and transit projects which the gas tax mainly funds.

“Before the withheld the gas prices where I was spending almost $200 a month on fuel,” Allegany county resident Keith Neilson explained. “Now, with the tax not being in place, I’ve been spending about $120 a month on fuel.”

“It’s kind of a bummer because we’re definitely gonna pay more to pump now and it’s gonna be harder to get around,” bowser said. “I guess I’ll have to be a little more cautious about how we do that.
Some people I talked to said they plan on using the reward programs gas stations offer to try to save some money at the pump.

“With the sheets app, they have the five cents or 10 cents off on the rewards program,” Neilson said. “I can hit that whenever I go all the time and I can use it to get five or 10 cents off on the gallon.”