Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) called on Commissioner Charles P. Rettig of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to help lower costs for Nevadans who use their cars for business and medical purposes by increasing the standard mileage rate used to deduct their costs for operating a vehicle.
Many Nevadans are able to claim mileage reimbursement from the IRS if they use their personal vehicles for work, medical, charitable, or moving expense purposes. Average gas prices have increased 28 percent since the release of the standard mileage rate for 2022, and the Senators are calling for the IRS to immediately use its administrative authority to update the standard mileage rates to reflect unexpectedly high gas prices and deliver more cost relief for Americans.
“High gas prices are hurting American families just as the cost of groceries, housing, and other energy sources rise and large portions of the workforce are returning to in-person work,” the Senators wrote. “…An increase in the per-mile reimbursement rate will offer some relief to Americans who use a personal vehicle for everyday needs like work travel or medical transport. By enabling independent contractors and businesses to adjust for increasing expenses, it will also offer relief to medical service providers and nonprofits providing critical care to families in need, particularly in rural areas, as well as help small businesses struggling with higher costs for transporting goods.”
Full text of the letter is available here.
Senator Cortez Masto’s push to lower prices at the pump is part of her comprehensive work to ease cost burdens for Nevadans. She’s pushed critical legislation to alleviate supply chain bottlenecks, introduced a bill to cap the price of insulin, proposed a federal gas tax holiday, and called on the Biden administration to develop a long-term, government-wide strategy to lower gas prices. She has also asked the administration to utilize and assess LIHEAP funds in order to help Americans struggling with the high costs of heating and cooling their homes. In addition, she has been a champion for renewable energy and clean transportation development that will help lower energy prices for Nevadans through her Innovation State Initiative.
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