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Michigan lawmakers poised to pass a measure suspending the state’s gasoline tax.

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A man pumps gas into his vehicle at a gas station in Monterey Park, Calif., on Oct. 5, 2012.
Frederic J. Brown

Michigan’s legislature returns to work this week, poised to pass a measure suspending the state’s gasoline tax.

The price of gasoline skyrocketed in Michigan over the past month with some calling it a byproduct of increasing inflation and the U.S. enacting sanctions against Russia.

The Michigan House voted by an almost two-thirds margin to suspend the state’s roughly 27-cent gas tax from the beginning of April until the end of September.

The state senate is set to vote on the plan this week.

Legislators say they could cover revenue lost from suspending the tax by tapping the state’s general fund surplus.

But Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer told reporters SHE favors cutting taxes on some retirement incomes and raising the Earned Income Tax Credit.

Whitmer indicated she’d veto temporarily repealing the state gas tax, though she has joined with other governors to request a suspension of the federal gasoline tax.

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Quinn Klinefelter is a host and Senior News Editor for 101.9 WDET, anchoring midday newscasts and preparing reports for WDET, NPR and the BBC.