Following reports that the New Hampshire State Senate is currently set to release a plan for a gas tax holiday this week, Massachusetts has fallen yet another step behind similar states in its efforts to provide relief to families and small businesses struggling to combat sky high fuel prices.

“The gas tax holiday has become quite a popular idea both locally and across the country. Even liberal Connecticut has suspended their gas tax to help allow people to deal with skyrocketing prices. Now New Hampshire is poised to take action. With two neighboring states taking action, we will only hurt the gas station owners and consumers in our own state if our legislators don’t do the same,” commented Paul Diego Craney, spokesman for the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance.

Locally, both of the Republican gubernatorial candidates joined the call for suspension. At the state House of Representatives, State Rep. Peter Durant proposed an amendment to a supplemental budget that would suspend the tax, and Senate Republicans pushed the proposal to a roll call vote that was defeated 11-29.

“These prices are clearly not going away any time soon. Governor Baker has indicated he’s not opposed to the idea. As legislators move to take up the budget in the coming weeks, they should follow the lead of our neighbors in both liberal and conservative states and move to provide this relief to people that are already being battered by inflation and price increases,” closed Craney.