Last month, Governor Lamont signed emergency legislation — passed unanimously by the state Senate and House — suspending Connecticut’s excise tax on gasoline from April 1 to June 30. The state collected 25 cents per gallon.
The legislation says that retailers’ failure to reduce the per-gallon price of gasoline by that amount will be considered an “unfair or deceptive trade practice.”
Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce director Matthew Mandell decided to see which local gas stations followed the rules.
He took photos of several Westport gas stations on the Thursday evening of March 31, then again on the afternoon of April 1.
The Shell station across from the Westport Country Playhouse dropped its prices by 25 cents …
Mandell says: “WCBS radio reports that stations pay the tax upon delivery of their fuel, so prices might not come down until the next delivery.
“Nonetheless, the majority of stations did indeed change their prices — some 20 cents, some 25 cents, some even 30 cents.
“Some did not change their price at all.
“What should also be noted is the difference in prices overall — up to $1 per gallon — and that some places have different prices for cash and credit transactions.”
Here are the stations in Mandell’s cross-section:
- Citgo $4.13 to $3.88: 25 cents
- Cumberland Farms Hillspoint Road: $4.13 to $3.93: 20 cents
- Cumberland Farms Bulkley Avenue South: $4.13 to $3.93: 20 cents
- Exxon: $4.23 to $3.93: 30 cents
- Mobil: $5.27 to $5.27: no change
- Phillips: $4.29 to $3.99: 30 cents
- Shell downtown: $4.09 to $3.84: 25 cents
- Shell Maple Avenue South: $4.87 to $4.87: no change
- Sunoco Riverside: $4.29 to $3.99: 30 cents
… while the Shell near Maple Avenue showed no change.