Arkansas Gov. Seeks Fuel Tax Hike

Arkansas Gov. Huckabee has made it official: he will seek a three cent-per-gallon increase in the state’s diesel fuel tax to pay for highway improvements. Mr. Huckabee made the announcement in his Jan. 12 State of the State Speech in Little Rock.

"We can't afford to put a new burden on those hard-working people who struggle to put bologna on the table," he said. "What we must do is make sure that we find ways of innovative financing, regain the trust of the Arkansas people and build our highways and roads in such a way that all of us here can feel like we left a legacy of better transportation than ever before."

The proposed penny-a-year increase in the 18.6 cent-per gallon tax is expected to bring in $15 million a year.

Mr. Huckabee did not address a proposal by the state Highway Commission to toll three interstate highways. That proposal is opposed by trucking, which has formed a national coalition opposed a Federal Highway Administration plan to allow up to three states to use tolls to pay for interstate maintenance.