Drivers in Charleston County watched gas prices jump 15 cents in a single day this week, part of a statewide climb that has the governor’s office fielding calls to suspend South Carolina’s gas tax even as it rules out doing so anytime soon.
The average price at the pump in Charleston County reached $4.08 a gallon, tracking a broader statewide rise to $4.11 a gallon Thursday, up from $4.05 the day before and roughly 21 cents higher over the past week. The increases follow rising crude prices tied to the ongoing conflict involving Iran, which has rattled energy markets nationally.
Suspending or adjusting the state’s gas tax isn’t something the governor can do unilaterally — it would require an act of the General Assembly, and there’s no indication lawmakers are being called back to Columbia for a special session to consider it. That leaves South Carolina drivers facing the same market-driven price swings as the rest of the country for now, with any legislative relief, if it comes, likely months away given the normal session calendar.
For a coastal region where commuting distances and tourism-driven traffic already strain household budgets, a sustained run above $4 a gallon adds pressure just as families settle into fall routines of school runs and weekend travel.
