WPCNR County Clarion-Ledger. By John F. Bailey. September 2, 2005: According to Westchester County Department of Communications spokesperson Donna Greene, speaking exclusively to WPCNR this morning, the county Department of Consumer Affairs has found no evidence that Westchester gas stations are price gouging.
Greene said the Department of Consumer Affairs in its price survey of gas stations Monday, and in a repolling of gas stations on Thursday, is asking service stations to provide their invoices showing what they paid to purchase gas from their wholesalers to scrutinize whether the individual stations are piling on the pennies per gallon. So far, Greene said, Consumer Affairs Commissioner Elaine Price is finding no evidence that stations are passing along any more than their costs, but the jury is still out Greene indicated. Greene told WPCNR the local service stations must purchase their wholesale gas with cash upfront, thus playing catchup with their cash price increases to pay for deliveries. At this time, Greene said Price indicated to her that it would be difficult to bring a court case on gas stations based on the invoice paperwork Price has seen so far.
Meanwhile in a news release this afternoon, County Executive Andy Spano has moved to ask Albany to institute a series of moneysaving measures on gasoline. The Department of Communications release stated Executive Spano--
- will ask the state to give the county the power to cap the county portion of the sales tax levy on gasoline,
- will call upon the state to cap its portion of the sales tax as well,
- will ask the federal government to lower the flat taxes it imposes on gas,
- has directed the county Consumer Department to investigate -- using subpoena power if necessary -- gas stations that might be gouging the public.
"People are suffering. We have to do something," Spano said. "I want to save motorists a few dollars on every fill up and at the same time make sure that no business is taking unfair advantage of the crisis caused by Katrina."
