Former Pa. Governor Urges Senators to Raise Gas Tax
Reminding lawmakers about the urgent need to rebuild the country's aging transportation network, former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) told a key Senate panel on Jan. 29 that they need to raise fuel taxes.
“It’s absolutely the least you can do,” Rendell told the Senate Commerce, Science and Technology Committee. “We will support you. The American people will groan for a little bit, but after a while they won’t have any idea that you raised the gas tax.”
Rendell, co-chairman of the infrastructure advocacy group Building America's Future, promoted a bipartisan proposal offered last year that called for increasing the gas and diesel taxes by 6 cents each year for the next two years, for a total increase of 12 cents. The plan, sponsored by Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), would have been indexed to inflation using the Consumer Price Index. Congress adjourned without acting on the proposal.
This week, American Trucking Associations, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and AAA urged Congress to increase federal fuel taxes. Congressional leaders have yet to unveil a plan to boost funding for highway programs. Congress has not raised the 24.4 cent-per-gallon tax on diesel and 18.4 cent-per-gallon tax on gas since 1993.
The federal Highway Trust Fund, used to help states pay for infrastructure projects, expires in May.
