§ 5110 — Levy and rate of tax; collection

(a) There is hereby levied and imposed for the state fiscal year commencing August 1, 1981, a tax of 11 cents per gallon on all gasoline which is sold or used in the State. For each state fiscal year thereafter, the rate of such tax per gallon shall equal the product of: Ten percent and the 12-month average of the “wholesale average price” per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline at self-service stations in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area, as reported in the McGraw-Hill Platt’s/Lundberg Report (or successor report), such product to be rounded to the nearest whole cent. A calculation producing a rate including a fraction less than one half of 1 cent shall be rounded down to the nearest whole cent, and a calculation producing a rate including a fraction equal to or greater than one-half cent shall be rounded up to the nearest whole cent. The rate of taxation for the fiscal years beginning July 1, 1982, and thereafter shall be calculated on the basis of such wholesale average prices reported for the consecutive 12-month period commencing March 1 and ending on the last day of February of the fiscal year next prior to the fiscal year in which the tax will be imposed. The Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of Finance shall compute the applicable rate in March, or as soon as practicable thereafter, for the next state fiscal year and shall notify the Governor and the General Assembly of their findings and calculations not later than April 30 of that year. If the Platt’s/Lundberg Report fails to contain reports on the wholesale average price per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline at self-service stations in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area for any month or if the report is discontinued and no successor report is published, the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of Finance shall use available figures reflecting such prices reported in any other nationally recognized publication. Notwithstanding the foregoing:

(1) The tax rate per gallon of gasoline levied pursuant to this section shall not be less than an amount equivalent to 11 cents per gallon;

(2) The tax rate for any fiscal year commencing July 1, 1982, and thereafter shall not be less than the rate for the prior state fiscal year nor more than 1 cent per gallon above the tax rate in effect for the prior state fiscal year; and

(3) The maximum aggregate tax rate shall not exceed an amount equivalent to 11 cents per gallon of gasoline.

(b) The tax shall be collected by and paid to the State but once in respect to any gasoline. Nothing in this section shall be construed to exempt from the tax any distributor of gasoline with respect to gasoline used in making such distribution. The tax shall be collected in the manner hereinafter provided.

(c) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section, the tax levied and imposed in subsection (a) of this section shall be 22 cents per gallon through December 31, 1994. Thereafter, the tax shall be 23 cents per gallon. Effective January 1, 1995, the tax shall be no more or no less than 23 cents per gallon until increased or decreased by the State. By virtue of the pledge and assignment of motor fuel tax revenues by the State to the Delaware Transportation Authority, said tax shall not be decreased during the period any bonds of that Authority are outstanding and unpaid.

Legislative History

30 Del. C. 1953, § 5110; 54 Del. Laws, c. 107 ; 55 Del. Laws, c. 112, § 1 ; 58 Del. Laws, c. 289, § 1 ; 59 Del. Laws, c. 218, §§ 1, 2 ; 59 Del. Laws, c. 416, § 1 ; 61 Del. Laws, c. 74, § 1 ; 63 Del. Laws, c. 179, § 24 ; 65 Del. Laws, c. 385, § 10 ; 66 Del. Laws, c. 87, § 2 ; 67 Del. Laws, c. 285, § 55 ; 68 Del. Laws, c. 290, § 184 ; 69 Del. Laws, c. 77, §§ 49, 50