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Whitmer says she’s open to “relief” for cost of fuel

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High gas prices are posted at a gas station in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Nov. 7. Gas prices are surging across the country yet there's effectively little the Biden administration can do.
Damian Dovarganes

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signaled she’ll veto a bill to suspend the state’s fuel tax.

But, that may not be the final word.

The latest version adopted by the Legislature would suspend the state fuel tax.

Whitmer’s not happy with that version.

The whole thing is complicated by the fact that the failure of a procedural vote would stop that bill from taking effect until a year from now.

But there may be another option. Inflation in the price of fuel has boosted revenue from the six percent sales tax collected on fill-ups.

That windfall could fund a pause in collecting that tax. Republicans in the Legislature have expressed support. So have Democrats. Whitmer, however, has not said yes. But she, also, has not said no.

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Rick Pluta is Senior Capitol Correspondent for the Michigan Public Radio Network.