New Jersey drivers can expect a little bit of relief on gas prices today.

The state gas tax will drop by 8.3 cents beginning today. The decrease is in accordance with a 2016 state statute that requires funds to support New Jersey's Transportation Trust Fund.

“Anything and everything works,” says Shirley Perez, of Edison. “With everything going up, this is great, great news.”

New Jersey’s tax on gasoline has risen more than 36 cents a gallon since 2016, when a 23-cent a gallon hike to raise money for road and rail projects kicked in. 

“We go from Staten Island into New Jersey into New York City and especially the Bronx and then we have to get out to Eastern Long Island then make our way back,” says Al Velazquez, of Florida. “So, we go through a lot of gas.”

The gas tax fluctuates based on how much gas people buy in order to raise revenue for New Jersey’s Transportation Trust Fund program. Last October, the gas tax increased more than nine cents a gallon, because fewer people were driving during the coronavirus pandemic. 

“I think that’s great because we do a lot of driving,” says Velazquez.

The decrease in tax means that New Jersey will go from having the fourth-highest gas tax in the country to the 11th, according to the Tax Foundation.