GOP Rep: Gas tax hike 'resonates' with lawmakers

thehill.com ^ | february 11, 2014 | keith laing

[lowbridge]

Rep. Tom Petri (R-Wis.) said on Tuesday that an increase in the 18.4 cents per gallon federal gas tax "resonates" with a lot of members of the House Transportation Committee. 

Petri said while speaking at a "Safe Routes To Everywhere" event at the Capitol on Tuesday morning that lawmakers have heard from truck drivers who are volunteering to pay higher taxes on diesel gasoline to help improve the condition of the roads they drive on. 

"When we had our initial hearing, the Trucking Association came down and said 'they're not in the business of raising cost for their members or making life more difficult for their members, but they supported raising the diesel fuel tax on the truckers because they wanted to have a first rate, efficient transportation system," said Petri, who is a member of the GOP's leadership team on the Transportation Committee. 

"It would cost them if they didn't," Petri continued. "They looked at all the different alternatives as the way to fund the system, and they thought the fairest way would be to do that. That resonates with people." 

[Nickname]

Annnnnd shocker. Petri is a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership:

http://www.republicanmainstreet.org/members/

[A_Tradition_Continues]

Throughout the world, automotive diesel, aka D2, is known as diesel gasoline.

[GeronL]

Petri said while speaking at a "Safe Routes To Everywhere" event at the Capitol on Tuesday morning that lawmakers have heard from truck drivers who are volunteering to pay higher taxes on diesel gasoline to help improve the condition of the roads they drive on

has everyone forgotten "stimulus"? Giving the government more money is not going to make the roads better.

[Zathras]

Hitting someone in the head with a frying pan “resonates” too.

[nascarnation]

My guess is they were union driver employees of trucking companies that were asked. Folks who won’t pay a penny of it themselves.

[McGruff]

Rep. Tom Petri (R-Wis.) said on Tuesday that an increase in the 18.4 cents per gallon federal gas tax "resonates" with a lot of members of the House Transportation Committee.

Talk about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

[Paine in the Neck]

GOP membership of the Transportation Committee:

Bill Shuster - Pennsylvania, Chairman

Don Young - Alaska

Thomas E. Petri - Wisconsin

Howard Coble - North Carolina

John J. Duncan Jr. - Tennessee

John L. Mica - Florida

Frank A. LoBiondo - New Jersey

Gary G. Miller - California

Sam Graves - Missouri

Shelley Moore Capito - West Virginia

Candice S. Miller - Michigan

Duncan Hunter - California

Eric A. “Rick” Crawford - Arkansas

Lou Barletta - Pennsylvania

Blake Farenthold - Texas

Larry Bucshon - Indiana

Bob Gibbs - Ohio

Patrick Meehan - Pennsylvania

Richard L. Hanna - New York

Daniel Webster - Florida

Steve Southerland, II - Florida

Jeff Denham - California

Reid J. Ribble - Wisconsin

Thomas Massie - Kentucky

Steve Daines - Montana

Tom Rice - South Carolina

Markwayne Mullin - Oklahoma

Roger Williams - Texas

Trey Radel - Florida

Mark Meadows - North Carolina

Scott Perry - Pennsylvania

Rodney Davis - Illinois

Mark Sanford - South Carolina

[drypowder]

Trumka

[Nervous Tick]

I don’t mind truckers volunteering to pay more taxes. That’s their business. Hey truckers: there’s a place on your federal tax return where you can include your selfless gift. Go for it.

But I mind the hell out of truckers volunteering ME to pay more taxes. Go screw yourselves would be my first reaction. After thinking it through, though, my second reaction is go screw yourselves with something red hot.

Anyway, if this comes to pass, I’ll get to pay double; more for every mile I drive, PLUS increased cost of goods from those altruistic truckers passing their increased taxes along to me. Sweet.

[Aria]

If these fools actually think that the $$$ from a fuel tax increase will actually be spent to improve the roads - they need electric shock treatments.

Like!

[Repeal The 17th]

Seems to me there must be enough money in the fund already, since they
have enough to plant thousands of crepe myrtles, junipers, and daffodils
at all of the interchanges around here.

[ltc8k6]

So much for the appeal of diesel engines in cars, SUV’s, and light duty trucks.

It’s already questionable whether the purchase expense and the extra fuel cost justifies buying such a diesel engine vehicle.

Added diesel fuel costs will make it a definite no, and further hold back diesels in the US.

[Army Air Corps]

“Yes, we sell blended fuel here!”

[Aria]

LOL!

[DJ MacWoW]

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[GOPFlack]

Yes, trust fund revenues are falling because of greater fuel efficiency (laughable in itself because much of that change and hence the revenue shortfall is the result of federal mandates). But why do we cling to this notion that the federal government has to provide the bulk of highway funding in the country?

If they want to make trust fund money go further at the state level, then repeal Davis Bacon that requires any road project with federal funds to pay union wages no matter the state, and get rid of the voluminous environmental regs and laws that make a mile of road in this country so prohibitively expensive. Or better yet, why don’t we eliminate federal fuel taxes on gas and Diesel and instead let the states decide their own highway levies and expenditures with no strings attached?

Ridiculous, raise taxes to cover a state and local obligation that we can’t keep up with anymore because of our own mandates.

[nascarnation]

Don’t worry, the EPA is mandating Ultra Low Sulfur in gasoline in 2017 to boost it up to the old price relationship to diesel.

[nhwingut]

So the repubs got the dems on the ropes with Obamacare. And what’s their plan? Amnesty and gas taxes. Kown as the stupid party for a reason.

[onedoug]

Sucker truckers.