Gov. Mike Braun told an Indianapolis radio station Thursday that he is “likely” to extend the suspension of the state sales tax on gas purchases.
“I’m likely to extend it for another 30 days, even though it has been drifting down, because I don’t see the Mideast issue being cleared up in the next 30 to 45 days,” he told conservative host Tony Katz on WIBC. “I think we keep watching there, but if it looks to me like what it’s going to do, there’s a good chance I’ll be extending it.”
Braun on April 8 signed an energy emergency declaration waiving the 7% sales tax on gas. By law, he can’t renew the emergency more than once without approval of the General Assembly.
“I think the legislature has to intervene at some point beyond that,” Braun said. “I doubt there’d be a special session to do it.”
The law allows for 60-day suspensions but he chose 30 days.
The April sales tax rate is 17.2 cents a gallon but it is set to rise to 23.3 cents in May. The estimated cost to state coffers — and savings for motorists — for the first 30-day suspension is $50 million.
On the day he suspended the tax, the average cost for a gallon of gas in Indiana was $4.14, according to AAA. Now that has fallen to $3.69.
On a separate topic, Braun discussed former Department of Child Services Director Adam Krupp.
In January, Krupp was hospitalized for an undisclosed medical event and spent more than three months out on medical leave. This week, Braun announced Krupp would move to a special adviser role and named Jennifer Dorfmeyer the new DCS director.
“In this case, that is a tough job when you’re dealing with 4,000 employees,” Braun told Katz about Krupp. “He was considered (to be) doing a good job. The people there like working for him, but it got to be a little too much. So, gave him a leave of absence. He then said he’s ready to come back.”
The governor added that running the agency “got to (Krupp) before,” and Braun will see how the new arrangement “works.”
Both Krupp and Dorfmeyer will make $210,000.
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