Gas Tax
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Mileage-Based Fees or Bust: New Report Says “No More Excuses”
The shortcomings of the current gas tax are well-known. The federal rate (18.4 cents/gallon) has not been raised in nearly twenty years and is not tied to inflation, yet it remains the primary source of funds for federal transportation spending. The problem is exacerbated by improving vehicle fuel economy. And as electric cars roll off the assembly line in greater numbers and become the vehicle of choice for more drivers, relying on the gas tax as the primary source of transportation funding makes even less sense.
May 3, 2012
Infographic: When Reagan, the GOP, and Democrats Doubled the Gas Tax
Something to keep in mind while the House GOP leadership toys with the idea of sending national transportation policy back to the 1950s…
March 20, 2012
Flashback: Ronald Reagan Touts Gas Tax Hike, Transit Funding as Job Creators
On January 6, 1983, the icon of the modern conservative movement, Ronald Reagan, signed legislation to raise the gas tax for the first time in more than two decades, devoting a portion of the revenue to transit.
February 16, 2012
Transit’s Not Bleeding the Taxpayer Dry — Roads Are
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Roads don’t pay for themselves.
December 12, 2011
Even the Godfather of Rail~Volution Wouldn’t Raise the Gas Tax Right Now
At Rail~Volution yesterday, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) -- also known as the godfather of the “rail~volution” -- said even he wouldn’t raise the gas tax right now.
October 19, 2011
House and Senate Agree on 6-Month Transpo Extension
Just days after a Senate committee asked the full chamber to consider a four-month extension of SAFETEA-LU, new negotiations have replaced that idea with a six-month extension at current spending levels. The bill also extends the gas tax.
September 12, 2011
It’s Official: Congress’s Next Spitting Contest Will Be Over the Gas Tax
Since the 112th Congress convened in January, the federal government almost shut down, the government almost defaulted on its debts, and the FAA was temporarily shuttered. It’s the Crisis Congress, thriving on the chaos of catastrophe. Next up: a bruising fight over funding the transportation system.
August 11, 2011
GM CEO: “We Ought to Just Slap a Dollar Tax on a Gallon of Gas”
Well, it’s unanimous – everyone agrees the country needs a significant hike in the gas tax. Everyone outside of Congress, that is. Last week, General Motors CEO Dan Akerson told The Detroit News that a higher gas tax would help solidify the market for more fuel-efficient cars.
June 8, 2011
Missouri, Welcome to the Era of the Broke State DOT
Word went out in a press release early last month: The Missouri Department of Transportation would be eliminating 1,200 jobs, closing 135 facilities and selling 740 pieces of equipment.
June 7, 2011
Without Adequate Federal Funding, Will States Raise Their Own Gas Taxes?
Connecticut state senators just voted to increase the state gas tax by three cents. The New Hampshire House Speaker has proposed cutting theirs by five cents – but only for two months, to help drivers bear the pain of high gas prices. In Georgia, the gas tax jumps every time gas prices go up by 25 cents. And at least one U.S. Senator is suggesting that more states start taking transportation funding into their own hands.
April 25, 2011