Posted on 06/18/2014 5:08:56 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Two U.S. senators on Wednesday proposed raising federal gasoline and diesel fuel taxes by 12 cents a gallon [3.2 cents a liter] over the next two years to keep a road and bridge fund from going broke.
The gasoline tax now stands at 18.4 cents a gallon, and the diesel tax at 24.4 cents a gallon. The politically sensitive levies have not been increased since 1993.
The senators' plan faces an uphill fight this year, with congressional elections coming in November.
Senators Bob Corker, a Republican, and Chris Murphy, a Democrat, called for the tax increase, with the new revenue going to replenishing the federal Highway Trust Fund.
The fund pays for about half the country's spending on transportation projects and is projected to run out of money by the end of August.
“If Americans feel that having modern roads and bridges is important then Congress should have the courage to pay for it,” said Tennessee's Corker, in a joint statement.
Murphy, of Connecticut, said, “I know raising the gas tax isn't an easy choice, but we're not elected to make easy decisions -- we're elected to make the hard ones.”(continued)
(Excerpt) Read more at voanews.com ...
Read my lips...
Thanks Tennessee. For nothing...
I thought we fixed the infrastructure with the last stimulus.
I know we’ve promised roads for tax increases about 20 time and reneged. But really, this time you’ll get some roads.
Trust us.
Too much of that money goes to “green” projects, not actual motor vehicle infrastructure. You get greenbelts (bike/walking/jogging paths), green space, commuter trains, commuter buses, commuting subsidies, etc... If the money collected in fuel/road taxes actually went to roads/bridges, we’d be fine.
Probably won’t happen, but I certainly prefer to pay, maybe, $100 more in a gas tax, than THOUSANDS more in tolls.
Others may think the other way, but the roads will be built, it’s only a question of how we pay for them and whether we want the kind of Crony Capitalism we’ve had to deal with here in Texas (i.e., private tollways, protected by the government).
Why not just go for $1.00 ,none will go for roads
I live in Denton and I studiously avoid toll roads. Wish I knew how to use that train, that actually looks like a good deal in some circumstances.
Yep...that guy is a real corker...
Gas tax revenues gets pissed away on other non-transportation and envirowacko-transportation crap.
There were two huge transportation bills passed within the last 10 years that totaled close to $1.5 trillion dollars. The Porkulus and the 2005, $300 billion highway bill that Bush signed. Plus you have the continuous gas tax revenue coming into the feral government.
States should pay for their own roads and coordinate with other states on interstate highway and bridge related stuff.
“I live in Denton and I studiously avoid toll roads. Wish I knew how to use that train, that actually looks like a good deal in some circumstances.”
Bummer, I feel bad for you. The Dallas area is getting screwed with toll roads even worse than Houston. Too bad we let our gas tax lapse, rather than allow it to keep up with inflation (like every other tax does, automatically).
This is because none of these dudes buy gasoline. someone else does it. Gas here was $3.89 today.
Call him what he is, “Corker the Porker” ...
Both need to be voted out of office!!
Believe it or not, most of the gas tax still pays for roads, and roads are NOT CHEAP.
...but I know that most FReeper prefer toll roads...until they find out what they cost after SELL-OUT governors, like Perry, sign 75 year “leases” allowing the operators to charge as much as they want. And watch Perry - I can promise you he will be on the Board of those same toll road companies the moment he leaves the governorship - he brought them A LOT of bucks.
Tax bicycles and running shoes not gasoline!!!
$3.99 in Shepardsville, KY today.
T E A (stands for taxed enough already)
$3.29 in Corpus Christi, no sign of an increase here yet.
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