Gas Tax Increase Recommended by National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission

They have recommended a 40¢ a gallon to meet the infrastructure maintenance for roads and bridges.

Obviously, I think that we need to maintain our infrastructure, but I would add a couple of caveats to any gas tax:

  • Over the road truckers are heavily subsidized relative to railroads, which would generally be more energy efficient and economical, and they should pay their own way, which would imply additional taxes and fees for long haul truckers.
  • If taxes are raised, at least half of the revenues should go to mass transit.

Obviously, our infrastructure is falling apart, and needs to be fixed, but it should not be another subsidy.

Leave a Reply