Fuel tax increase is the fastest, most direct way to meet state transportation needs

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch ^ | January 8, 2018 | The Post-Dispatch Editorial Board

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

At a measly 17 cents a gallon, Missouri’s fuel tax is woefully inadequate to fund the state’s growing need for transportation-infrastructure improvements. The more the system deteriorates, the worse our state’s business climate will become. Gov. Eric Greitens could put some muscle into his determination to attract business and generate more jobs by embracing a long-overdue fuel tax increase.

The Missouri 21st Century Transportation Task Force, created by the Legislature and approved by the governor last year, proposes to boost the tax by a dime, and by 12 cents for diesel, which is only about half of what’s needed to meet annual road and bridge needs. Business leaders told the transportation task force that the state’s aging and dilapidated infrastructure is reducing safety and constraining economic development.

It’s been 22 years since the tax was last raised. Unsafe roads can and do cost lives. What does it take to make state legislators overcome their self-imposed, irrational ban on new taxes?

The American Society of Civil Engineers has given Missouri’s infrastructure a grade of C-minus, and the National Safety Council gave the state an F, ranking it last in the nation in preventable accidents.

The transportation department needs a fuel-tax increase of at least 20 cents a gallon to keep up with an estimated $825 million in unmet transportation needs. The last effort to raise money that got traction was a 2014 constitutional amendment to hike state sales taxes, with the funds going to transportation. A hefty 59 percent of voters rejected it.

[Mastador1]

Oh, I wasn't talking about the roads, just that other states reallocate funds from their designated use, in that California is not special.

[wgmalabama]

All the anti smokers and pro sueing tobacco company people are total tools to the nanny state. Complete morons. All that money to combat health effects of smoking and the government pissed it away on rent a friend BS. Smokers got shafted with higher prices (taxes).

[beachn4fun]

How about the state Spends. Less. Money.

Too obvious for those who think they have money to burn. They run on accounting principles of spend what you think you'll get next year. Looks like they need a reminder of the purpose of tax dollars.

Wonder if they even stop to think how this will impact the lower income and poor? To them, it's not measly.

[PAR35]

in a very conservative state

Snicker, Snicker

Senator McCaskill
House district 1 Clay
House district 5 Cleaver
Governor Greitens (long time democrat)

Fine bunch of conservatives there.

[hanamizu]

in a very conservative state Snicker, Snicker

---

All state-wide offices are currently held by Republicans. Both houses of the General Assembly have veto-proof Republican majorities. Clay & Cleaver represent black-majority districts, which, surprise, surprise vote for black democrats. Senator McCaskill basically picked her Republican opponent in the last election (Aikin) and waited for him to make a fatal blunder, which he obliged her by doing.

As for Governor Greitens, he ran and won as a Republican. His infidelity occurred when he was still a democrat, so according to democrat standards should be “nobody’s business” but his family’s.

[Redbob]

“Let’s be more like Dimocrats and solve every problem with a tax increase!”

That’s an intellectually lazy approach.