Tag: gas tax: Page 10

Roadbuilding

Jason Carter pushing for transportation sales tax

Democrat Jason Carter is reviving the idea of a regional sales tax for transportation infrastructure improvements in Georgia. In 2012 Carter and Gov. Nathan Deal backed a sales tax increase for transportation, known as the T-SPLOST, but failed in most parts of the state despite support from a big part of the business community and many political […]

August 21, 2014

Roadbuilding

POLL: Majority of Americans would rather pay tolls than taxes

73 percent of Americans agree that transportation spending is inefficient and most would rather pay for highway repairs with tolls instead of taxes, according to a Reason-Rupe poll. Out of the 1,000 people surveyed, 58 percent say they would rather pay for transportation projects with tolls. Only 32 percent would prefer to pay for the projects […]

August 18, 2014

Business

Bursting bubble of big tobacco financing gives glimpse of road building’s future without a gas tax increase

Last week I wrote about how states that engage in public-private partnerships (P3s) and other types of debt and bond financing would create short term gains and long term disaster for the road building industry. This weekend I read an article on ProPublica, an independent journalism site, that shows how the exact same thing—only using […]

August 12, 2014

Roadbuilding

Toll roads, P3s and creative financing will bring short-term gain, long-term disaster for the road building industry

For the last half-century gas and diesel taxes collected at the pump have been the primary source of funding for almost all our highway infrastructure. But Congress hasn’t  increased the gas tax or adjusted it for inflation since 1992. Anti-tax advocates claim this as a victory, but it’s not. With the highway trust fund running […]

August 8, 2014

Roadbuilding

The state with the best roads in the country is…

According to a report from the Washington Post, the state with the best roads in the country is …Florida! The report says only four percent of Florida’s 121,000+ miles road are in need of work. That’s way below the nation’s average of 14 percent. And since the Sunshine State has such good roads, local drivers save […]

July 28, 2014

Roadbuilding

LaHood pushes for 10-cent gas tax hike during St. Louis visit

During a trip to St. Louis, Mo., on Tuesday, former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood pushed for a 10-cent-per-gallon gas tax increase, St. Louis Public Radio reports. LaHood is visiting the city to promote infrastructure investment and bring awareness to the state of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), a primary source of funding for state and […]

July 2, 2014

Roadbuilding

Senate panel delays vote on highway bill patch

The Senate Finance Committee has delayed its vote on a proposed short-term patch that would provide funding for transportation infrastructure projects through Dec. 31, The Hill reports. During a markup of the Preserving America’s Transit and Highways (PATH) Act Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) agreed to delay a vote on his proposed $9 billion plan. Wyden […]

June 26, 2014

Roadbuilding

Fitch: Gas tax hike should be paired with other revenue sources to fund transportation

Fitch Ratings released a statement on Tuesday noting that a gas tax increase needs to be paired with another revenue source to provide the necessary funding for transportation projects. Fitch pointed to the recently-proposed 12-cent-per-gallon gas tax hike as a “positive first step to address transportation funding in this country” but added that “raising the […]

June 24, 2014

Roadbuilding

What lawmakers are saying about highway funding

On Friday, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx reminded state departments of transportation that the Highway Trust Fund’s “situation remains dire.” He noted in a letter to state DOT directors that the HTF is projected to run out of money at the end of August — one month before the current highway bill, MAP-21, expires — and […]

June 23, 2014

Roadbuilding

Delaware to see raised tolls instead of gas tax hike

Delaware drivers can soon expect an increase in certain tolls, but the state’s gas tax will not rise. That’s because Gov. Jack Markell and his administration are raising tolls on Route 1 by $1 — a move that’s expected to collect $10 million for highway projects, WDDE reports. In addition to the $10 million raised […]

June 21, 2014

Roadbuilding

12-cent gas tax hike could pay for transportation projects

With the current highway bill, MAP-21, nearing expiration and the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), the main transportation funding source, projected to shortfall in just over two months, the search is on for a new way to fund transportation infrastructure projects. Two senators have contributed to the search by suggesting an increase of the federal gas […]

June 19, 2014

Roadbuilding

Lawmaker looks to crude oil tax, indexed diesel tax for Highway Trust Fund solution; Plan would remove gas tax

As the Highway Trust Fund’s insolvency looms, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) has introduced a highway funding plan that would repeal the federal gas tax in favor of other funding options, like taxing oil barrels and indexing the diesel tax to inflation and fleet fuel economy. DeFazio’s Repeal and Rebuild Act is designed to be a […]

June 17, 2014