Bob Filner: “This bill mandates repeal of a 4.3-cent gasoline tax, but it does not mandate that we as consumers or the American…”

“This bill mandates repeal of a 4.3-cent gasoline tax, but it does not mandate that we as consumers or the American people as consumers will get the benefit of that 4.3 cents. I have the bill right here. It says that it is the sense of Congress that consumers ought to get that benefit, a sense of the Congress. It does not mandate anything. Mr. Speaker, we have some experience with this. When the airline surtax was allowed to expire recently, that 10 percent was not passed on to the consumers. In fact the airlines took at least half of that for their own. That is what will happen if we do not take stronger action today. The oil companies will get the benefit of this tax repeal and not the consumer. This bill later today should mandate that all consumers get the full benefit of the 4.3-cent tax repeal.”