NC Attorney General Questions 31 Gas Stations Over Gas Tax Savings

RALEIGH – The N.C. Department of Justice has opened inquiries into 31 gas stations following consumer complaints that retailers may not be passing along savings from the state’s temporary suspension of the gasoline tax.

Attorney General Jeff Jackson announced the inquiries Friday and said additional stations are expected to be contacted next week.

The 31 stations have not been found to have violated the law.

According to the Department of Justice, the stations are being notified of the complaints and asked to explain their pricing practices.

“Any gas station not passing their tax savings onto customers is violating the law, and we are reviewing every single complaint we receive,” Jackson said.

He said the department has begun sending what he described as escalation letters and is seeking prompt responses from the businesses contacted.

The General Assembly approved, and Gov. Josh Stein signed, legislation earlier this month temporarily suspending North Carolina’s 41-cent-per-gallon tax on gasoline and diesel.

The suspension began Oct. 10 and continues through Nov. 30.

Following passage of the law, the Attorney General’s Office launched N.C. Fuel Check, which allows drivers to report gas stations they believe are not passing the tax savings along to customers.

The Department of Justice said it is continuing to review those complaints and identify additional stations for possible inquiries.

Receiving a letter from the state does not mean a gas station has been found to have violated the law, the department emphasized.

Consumers making a report are encouraged to provide the station name and address, date and time of the visit, price per gallon, fuel grade, photographs of the price sign and receipt, and information about prices at nearby stations.

Complaints can be submitted through the N.C. Department of Justice’s N.C. Fuel Check program or by calling 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.