Thursday, October 1, 2026
Gas prices across our region continue to climb, and Nassau County has a tool to provide residents with immediate relief: capping the price per gallon that is subject to county sales tax.
Under the current system, even when fuel prices spike, the county continues collecting a sales tax of 4.25 percent. There is no adjustment for an unusual, sustained price surge. The math is simple: The higher the price, the more the county collects in taxes, creating a windfall for the government. Residents, workers and small businesses shoulder this additional expense without receiving the benefit of readily available relief.
Affordability remains one of the defining challenges facing Nassau families. Higher fuel costs touch nearly every aspect of daily life — commuting to work, running a business, getting children to school, caring for aging parents, and keeping household budgets intact. When gas prices rise sharply, the impact is immediate and unavoidable.
As of this writing, according to AAA, average fuel prices in our region stand at $4.449 per gallon for regular, $5.345 for premium, and $5.810 for diesel — more than 40 percent higher than at this time last year.
In April, Legislator Cynthia Nunez proposed a bill with the support of the Democratic caucus to temporarily cap the taxable price of gasoline and diesel at $3 per gallon for six months. This mirrors the approach Nassau adopted in 2022, when global instability sent fuel prices soaring after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The concept is straightforward: When residents are paying unusually high prices at the pump, the county shouldn’t profit from that hardship. A temporary cap provides direct, measurable relief in an area where residents feel the strain acutely.
This matters especially in Nassau County, where driving is often a necessity. Our communities were not built around subways or dense transit networks. Contractors, home health aides, delivery drivers, first responders, teachers and working parents all rely on their cars as the sole means of transportation. Even residents who rarely drive feel the ripple effects through higher delivery costs and increased prices for goods and services.
Every extra dollar spent at the pump is a dollar not spent on groceries, rent, utilities, child care or local businesses.
Given these realities, proposals that offer targeted temporary relief deserve to be heard and considered. Yet the Blakeman administration has not allowed this bill to come before the Legislature for a vote.
What makes this especially concerning is that no explanation has been offered. There’s no published fiscal analysis suggesting that the county can’t afford a temporary cap. In fact, the estimated sales tax revenue on gas in the county budget was forecast at $3 per gallon, so setting a temporary cap at that amount would have no negative impact on the county from a fiscal perspective. There is no operational barrier — Nassau implemented this exact policy in 2022. There has been no meaningful response, dialogue or alternative proposal offering residents any other form of relief.
In short, nothing prevents legislators from voting on a measure that would help residents stem the tide of rising costs. When a credible, practical tool exists and no substantive objections are raised, inaction leaves residents to absorb the burden without justification. It also perpetuates the public’s belief that government is out of touch with the realities many people confront every day.
This shouldn’t be a partisan issue. Gasoline doesn’t have a party affiliation. Every resident pays the same price when they pull up to the pump, and every household feels the pressure when filling a tank becomes more expensive.
A temporary gas tax cap is familiar, proven and easy to implement. It requires no new bureaucracy, no long-term commitments and no complicated rollout. What it does require is the willingness to act.
Nassau residents deserve more than statements about affordability. They deserve meaningful action that reflects the financial pressures they face every day. The Blakeman administration should allow this proposal to move forward and let the Legislature vote. Nassau County has provided this relief before. Now is the time for the county to act again. Let’s work together to deliver meaningful relief for our residents.
Scott Davis represents Nassau County’s 1st Legislative District.
