Gov. Ivey Blames Pres. Biden for Gas Prices, Not Alabama Gas Tax

After a speech at the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Wednesday, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said President Joe Biden is to blame for heightened gas prices, not the state's gas tax.

"The problem at hand is the Biden policies," Ivey said, according to the Montgomery Advertiser. "Under his policies, inflation has skyrocketed to almost a 40-year high.

"You see the crisis on our shelves, the supply shortage crisis. Under President Trump you could go buy gas and not have to hold your breath. Now, prices are jumping sky-high almost day by day. Right now, President Biden is in the driver's seat."

In 2019, Ivey implemented a 10-cent-per-gallon increase in the state’s fuel tax which has fallen under scrutiny from her opponents in the 2022 race for Alabama's governorship. That tax was a portion of the Rebuild Alabama Act aimed toward improving roads and bridges throughout the state and was backed by the former President Donald Trump Administration.

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Each of Ivey's challengers has brought the gas tax up as a point of contention during the race.

According to AAA, though, Alabama is below the national average when it comes to gas prices. The national average is $4.305 while Alabama's average is $4.125, which is lower than Georgia ($4.365) or Florida ($4.313), but higher than Mississippi ($3.981) or Tennessee ($4.094).

Still, Alabama is on trend with the nation in terms of the overall increase. The state average a month ago was $3.267. The near 80-cent increase is right in line with the national average increase which climbed almost exactly 80-cents.