Governor Lou Leon Guerrero held a bill signing ceremony for Bill 295, which is a bill that hopes to ease some of the payments at the pump.
PNC’s Don Sulat has the report on this story.
Governor Lou Leon Guerrero stated, -“I am now signing Bill 295 and it is now on the record as Public Law 36-105”
Bill 295, was originally introduced by Senators Joe San Agustin, Tina Muna Barnes, Amanda Shelton, Jose Terlaje, Anthony Ada, Frank Blas Jr., and James Moylan.
The bill, now law, will “temporarily waive the levy of excise taxes, automotive surcharges, and mass transit automotive surcharges on liquid fuel for 180 calendar days, and to amend the appropriations for the Department of Public Works by Amending Subsection j1 of Section 1, Chapter 5 of Public Law 36-54.”
The bill, together with bills 260, 261, and 290, were put on the floor during an emergency session in order to address the rise at the pump.
During the Bill Signing, Governor Leon Guerrero cited the costly effects of the sanctions imposed on Russia due to their war on Ukraine.
Saying that Guam is not alone in experiencing the “financial strain from the rising cost of fuel – the country and the world share this struggle. And it is true that the cost of fuel is anticipated to rise further in the coming months.”
Governor Leon Guerrero, added, “That is something that cannot be controlled by us, because this is more of a greater complicated situation. But what we can do is see how we can help in those areas that we do have control over, and 1 of them is of course local taxes.”
With the temporary waiver of the fuel tax and surcharge, according to Governor Leon Guerrero, the people can expect savings of around 18 cents per gallon at the pump.
Moreover, according to the Governor, there is more work to be done in order to achieve a long-term solution to the ever-rising cost of fuel, which includes a transition to a lifestyle that is less reliant on fossil fuels.
Reporting for the Pacific News Center.
I’m Don Sulat
