Assemblyman Chris Tague (R,C,I-Schoharie) is joining his Minority Assembly colleagues in calling for the passage of the Inflation Relief & Consumer Assistance Plan, which would suspend state sales tax on gasoline, food, personal care products, housekeeping supplies, and other goods and services for two years. The bill has been introduced to address the rapidly-rising prices of consumer goods due to ongoing inflation.

The Consumer Price Index, which measures the average costs of everyday products, climbed by a staggering 5.4 percent between September 2020 and September 2021. Based on these figures, the average consumer had experienced a monthly increase in expenses of $287, while a family of four has seen a monthly cost increase of $388. According to a recent report by Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, in the last year gas prices have risen by over 42 percent, and energy prices have increased by nearly 25 percent.

“It’s impossible to ignore the rising costs New York families have been faced with recently, and anyone who has used a gas pump or been to a grocery store in the last few months would agree with me,” said Tague. “Working New Yorkers shouldn’t be the ones to bear the brunt of these inflationary price increases, so I’m proud to support this measure to provide much-needed financial relief to families, whose money doesn’t buy nearly as much as it did just one year ago.”