Letter to the editor: Pennsylvania's gasoline tax

I applaud Robert Ober for his letter about the prices of gas going up at the whim of the oil companies (“Petroleum industry greed,” Aug. 2, TribLIVE). However, let’s not forget our Legislature and the tax on gas, the second highest in the nation.

We poor souls in Pennsylvania are paying 58.7 cents per gallon, while in Ohio, state gas tax is 38.5 cents per gallon. New York is 45.6 cents, and West Virginia is 50.2 cents . Out in California, the state gas tax is 60.8 cents per gallon, the highest in the nation. And get this: In Hawaii, where everything has to be brought in by plane and petroleum by boat, the tax is 48.1 cents per gallon.

The saying “Pennsylvania. Land of Taxes” sure holds true, but we forget just how great our roads and bridges are.

Paul Martin

Munhall