Gov. Bill Richardson has rejected calls from some Republicans in the
state to provide relief at the pumps by temporarily lifting fuel taxes in
New Mexico
.
Instead, the Democratic governor said he might call a special session
of the Legislature if a governor-appointed task force finds significant
evidence of fuel-price gouging in the state.
Sen. Joe Carraro, R-Albuquerque, recently suggested the fuel tax
holiday idea.
Carraro told the Santa Fe New
Mexican revenue lost by giving consumers a price break could be
offset by dipping into the state’s surplus, caused in part by levies on oil and
fuel producers.
Richardson
said the state
needs more than just “a piecemeal approach” to deal with
New
Mexico
’s rising fuel costs in the aftermath of the
Gulf
Coast
storm.
Apart from looking at potential gouging, the nine-member group will be
charged with coming up with a law to stop it, which
Richardson
has said he would endorse in the
regular legislative session that begins in January at the latest.
Consumers in
New Mexico
who believe
they may have been gouged at the pump should contact
Richardson
’s office at (505) 476-2200 or on
the Internet at governor.state.nm.us under “e-mail the governor.” Consumers can also call the Attorney
General’s Office at 1-800-678-1508.
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