Reuters - McCain calls for temporary suspension of gas tax

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McCain calls for temporary suspension of gas tax

Tuesday, Apr 15, 2008 2:4PM UTC

PITTSBURGH (Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential candidate John McCain called on Tuesday for the U.S. Congress to suspend the 18.4 percent federal tax on gasoline to ease prices at the pump for Americans.

"Americans need relief right now from high gas prices. John McCain will act immediately to reduce the pain of high gas prices," his campaign said ahead of an economic speech McCain was delivering in Pittsburgh.

McCain called on Congress to suspend the 18.4 cent federal gas tax and 24.4 cent diesel tax from Memorial Day at the end of May to Labor Day at the beginning of September.

McCain reiterated that he would also like to stop filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, an emergency supply of oil for use in case of major disruptions, because filling now at a time of high prices is driving up the price of gasoline even higher.

McCain will also said he would end policies that he believes add to higher transportation and food costs, such as ethanol subsidies, tariff barriers and sugar quotas.

At the White House, spokeswoman Dana Perino declined to comment on McCain's specific proposals but said, "What Sen. McCain is saying today is that he is for lower taxes and looking for ways to do that."

(Reporting by Steve Holland and Jeremy Pelofsky, editing by Lori Santos)