Return of fuel tax boosts Ga. gas prices; S.C. holds steady

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Gas prices stayed relatively steady in the past week in South Carolina but rose in Georgia – although the Peach State’s increase can be chalked up to the return of the state’s fuel tax.

The average price Monday in Georgia was $3.07 per gallon, up from $2.81 a week ago. But that price from a week ago was just before Georgia restored its 30-cent-per-gallon fuel tax, which had been on hold since gas prices spiked after Russia invaded Ukraine.

The average Monday in Augusta was $3.07, up from $2.89 a week earlier.

Meanwhile the average Monday in South Carolina was $3, down a penny from a week earlier.

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The average Monday in Aiken and Edgefield counties was $3.04, up about a penny from a week earlier.

“The good news as of late has been the continued decline in average diesel prices, which fell over a penny per day last week,” said Patrick De Haan, a petroleum analyst at GasBuddy. “Oil prices have seen a bit of a rally, finishing last week at nearly $80 per barrel again as Chinese demand starts to jump as expected.”

De Haan says a rise in COVID cases and deaths in China could slow the jump in demand there.

“Gas prices may nudge up slightly in the week ahead in some areas, while others could hold flat,” he said. “The window on price drops, however, appears to be coming up on the horizon as we get closer to what’s likely to be a significant refinery maintenance period ahead of summer.”