Posted on 01/08/2015 12:32:21 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As U.S. gasoline prices plunge to the lowest level in more than five years, some U.S. lawmakers see a golden opportunity to bump up taxes at the pump to help pay for the repair of crumbling roads and bridges.
Fuel taxes have been flat for more than 20 years, starving the Highway Trust Fund of revenue used for rising infrastructure repair costs. Lawmakers have fueled the fund with last-minute short-term injections of cash, but want to find a more permanent fix.
Last July, before a similar deadline, Republican Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee and Democrat Chris Murphy of Connecticut proposed raising federal gasoline and diesel taxes by 12 cents a gallon over two years from the current 18.4 cents.
The idea failed to take hold, for the same reason similar proposals failed in the past: the idea of raising taxes on consumers has been anathema to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, particularly for conservatives who have signed pledges not to hike taxes.
Republican Senator Jim Inhofe, the new chairman of the Senate Environment Committee, said on Wednesday a gasoline tax, or "user fee," as he prefers to call it, was one of the measures "on the table" as his panel works on a new transportation bill this year.
But Inhofe stopped short of supporting such a fee. ..
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
TEA..............
Yup, let’s toss some gasoline on the fire. It’s cheaper. for now..
Greed lives in Washington DC.
Wait a second... I thought the Porkulus Bill was supposed to fix all the roads and bridges.. “our crumbling infrastructure”? Shovel ready jobs, right?
Nevermind...
And most Americans are too stupid to realize it. At least, not until the cost of gasoline rises again.
But wait!! Our Orange-skinned Saviour on Capitol Hill says..
...
Reuters
House Speaker Boehner douses gas tax hopes
http://news.yahoo.com/house-speaker-boehner-douses-gas-tax-hopes-172140672.html
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said on Thursday he doubted there were enough votes in the new Republican-majority Congress to raise gasoline taxes.
“I’ve never voted to raise the gas tax,” the Ohio Republican told reporters.
Boehner said that when the Democrats controlled Congress, they could not find the votes to raise the gas tax, adding that “it’s doubtful the votes are here to raise the gas tax again” in the Republican-majority Congress that took office this week.
...
and some bad tie shops.
He must have got this one for Xmas.
U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) (L) departs at the end of a news conference following a Republican caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington January 7, 2015. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Slash into oblivion welfare, national health care, the public education dept. for starters.
There’ll be all kinds of money come available.
Give them a gas tax hike which requires approval of Keystone XL and small incremental hikes as construction progresses. Require that all funds raised under the hike be distributed only to states which fund projects with fair competitive bidding, union labor or not. Then, sit back and watch the Democrats vote against it and/or ObaMao veto it.
Bastards. And when gas goes up again, will they drop the tax?
Tar and Feathers.
One problem with federal money is that it trains the states and cities to act helpless and fail to maintain their roads. They have to pay for their own maintenance but a major rebuild might be paid for by Washington, thus there is incentive to let the roads fall apart. Additionally, even when a major project is needed, it takes and additional couple of years to see if someone else will pick up the tab for necessary road work like that uncomfortable time at a restaurant when the check comes.
If gas prices go up after this tax increase is passed, what are we to think?
States are looking to do the same.
Perhaps a better spec for road construction would be financially efficient as a gov't "investment".
TAF Party....
built...
Uh....The Gubmnt doesn’t NEED anymore money!
They need to shut several offices and cancel regulations.
They use the revenue to buy votes and increase their control over you.
This is all about nudging the price "floor" upwards while consumers are less inclined to raise Hell.
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