Rochester’s gas prices near $5 per gallon despite tax relief

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — Gas prices in Rochester are back up to record-high levels after falling because of state and county tax breaks.

Rochester’s average gas prices have increased by 19 cents since last Monday, according to AAA. The average price landed at $4.981 on Monday, the highest ever recorded locally.

Prices in Rochester are higher than in Buffalo, Syracuse, Batavia, and Ithaca.

News10NBC reported that gas stations in Monroe County are passing the $0.28 in tax savings onto consumers. However, the price for stations to refill their gas supply is increasing, leading to a price jump despite tax breaks since June 1.

Nationally, the average for gas has surpassed an unprecedented $5 a gallon. New York’s average on Monday was $5.037, a 16-cent increase from last week. Manhattan had the state’s highest gas price at $5.496. The lowest was Chemung and Broome Counties in the Southern Tier, at $4.979.

According to a survey from GasBuddy, the cheapest station in Rochester on Sunday was $4.65 per gallon, while the most expensive was 59 cents higher. You can find the cheapest local stations through a link to GasBuddy.

You can also explore gas price trends on the website for AAA.

Gas prices have skyrocketed over the past year because of rapid recovery from the pandemic increased the demand so high that supply couldn’t keep up. Europe’s restrictions on importing Russian oil also scrambled world oil prices, affecting the U.S. even though the U.S. imports very little Russian oil.

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