Don't dismiss gas tax hike
Waco Tribune-Herald Editorial
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
http://www.wacotrib.com/opin/content/news/opinion/stories/2007/08/14/08142007wacedit...
President Bush should not dismiss an increase in the federal gasoline
tax.
In 2005, Bush threatened to use his first veto on the highway bill if
it contained a gasoline tax increase.
The catastrophic collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge over the
Mississippi River in Minnesota again put the spotlight on the need to
repair and better maintain the nations highway system to prevent
additional tragedies.
Gasoline taxes that support the Federal Highway Trust Fund will have a
$4 billion deficit by 2009 without an increase in revenue.
The collapsed I-35W bridge going into Minneapolis had been rated
"structurally deficient" in 1990.
By Department of Transportation standards, "structurally deficient"
bridges require "significant maintenance attention, rehabilitation or
replacement."
Federal transportation officials have identified more than 73,000
bridges across the nation that also carry the "structurally deficient"
designation.
The National Bridge Inspection Program is in charge of inspecting and
rating the nations bridges. The states are supposed to use that
information to set priorities for maintaining, repairing and replacing
deficient bridges.
Because many states feel pinched for lack of funds, they often use
federal transportation funds to build new highways and bridges to keep
up with transportation needs rather than fix deficient bridges.
States like Texas that have deteriorating roads and bridges often
resort to toll roads and public-private partnerships to compensate for
a lack of funds.
Polls taken before the Minnesota bridge collapsed showed that more
than 70 percent of Americans favored increased spending on
transportation improvements.
Without an influx of money, more states will feel forced to turn to
bridge tolls and forms of highway privatization to pay for fixing
deficient bridges.
Americans shouldnt have to privatize their transportation systems to
make up for insufficient funding.
According to the American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials, it will cost an estimated $155.5 billion to
improve the nations roads and bridges to the levels needed.
U.S. Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., has suggested a five-cent tax hike
in the gas tax. Minnesotas governor, a long-time opponent of raising
gas taxes, now says he is open to a gas hike.
U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., has called for dramatically raising
taxes on gas by 72 cents a gallon with a 50-cent increase in direct
federal taxes and the rest going for a separate tax on carbon
emissions.
The former head of Bushs Council of Economic Advisors, Gregory
Mankiw, favors higher gas taxes. So does former Federal Reserve
chairman Alan Greenspan.
The money to fix the nations aging transportation infrastructure has
to come from somewhere quickly. Congress should explore raising
federal gasoline taxes.
