BOSTON- Governor Maura Healey today announced that she will file legislation to suspend Massachusetts’ gas tax for two months.
In her upcoming closeout supplemental budget, Governor Healey will propose a temporary suspension of the gas tax to help lower costs for Massachusetts residents. Under the proposal, the state would suspend its 24-cent-per-gallon tax on gas and diesel for two months beginning seven days after the bill is signed. The legislation would require gas stations to lower prices to reflect the suspended tax so that drivers are able to see the savings at the pump.
Today in Massachusetts, the average cost of a gallon of gas is $4.41 and the cost of a gallon of diesel is $6.40, up from $2.90 for regular and $4.20 for diesel in February 2026 before the war started.
“The skyrocketing price of gas is a direct result of Donald Trump’s actions. He chose to send us into this reckless war in Iran with no goals, no plan, and he refuses to get us out. Now everyone is paying the price. I’m calling on the President to do the right thing – end this war, bring our soldiers home, and lower the price of gas for every single American,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Because Donald Trump refuses to act, I’m doing what I can to lower the cost of gas in Massachusetts. Suspending the gas tax will provide some much-needed relief for Massachusetts families who commute every day, who are planning travel, and for our truckers because sky-high diesel prices drive up costs for all of us. We will do this without impacting the transportation investments we need to improve public transportation and fix our roads and bridges.”
“People are already dealing with high costs, and rising gas prices put even more pressure on family budgets and small businesses,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “This is targeted relief that will help people while making sure our roads, bridges and public transportation continue to have the resources they need.”
Under the proposal, retailers would be required to reflect the temporary tax suspension in the price consumers pay at the pump, and gas station owners would be protected from losing money on fuel sold at the reduced price.
The Administration estimates that the two-month suspension would provide approximately $120 million in relief. The proposal would replace the lost gas tax revenue with projected, unbudgeted Fiscal Year 2027 Fair Share surtax collections, allowing residents to see savings at the pump without reducing funding for roads, bridges or public transportation.
The MassGOP responded to Healey’s proposal highlighting that while campaigning for Governor, Minogue stated that he would suspend the state’s gas tax whenever prices climb above $4 a gallon and work toward eliminating the levy.
“When Democrats have to steal great Republican ideas six weeks before an election, you know they realize their policies just aren’t working for the people,” said Amy Carnevale, Chairwoman of the Massachusetts Republican Party.
She continued, “Maybe next Healey will opt into the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit to help parents with the cost of education or finally focus on transparency and accountability in government. Cleaning up the fraud and implementing an audit would also be a few great Minogue ideas to put forth.”
“Either way, it is nice to see Mike Minogue is already achieving results for taxpayers. Thanks Mike!” she concluded.
