Any “poor sucker” who buys gasoline, diesel, or any other motor fuel already automatically pays a fuel tax that at least theoretically goes toward the construction and maintenance of highways and other roads. Motor vehicles generally do use those roads as rarely as they buy gasoline and thereby pay fuel taxes. (Most legislatures frequently pilfer the road maintenance fund for non-road spending and then complain of a lack of money to construct and maintain roads.) Perhaps “every poor sucker” nowadays only buys gasoline for non-road motors like lawn mowers, but in my experience, an overwhelming majority of gasoline purchases historically went toward on-road motor vehicle fuels.
The habit of pilfering gasoline and diesel fuel tax for social programs and railroad programs is inexcusable. There is no need to raise the tax...just quit stealing it for illegitimate purposes.