Federal Gas Tax

Senator John Thune (R-S.D.), current ranking member and incoming chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation surprised the media when he announced on a Sunday morning talk show that a gas tax increase is possible.

January 5, 2015 - National Monitor

In this Washington Post opinion, Paul Bledsoe, former staff member of the Senate Finance Committee, clears up five common misunderstandings about the federal gas tax to inform discussions on America's infrastructure funding crisis

January 4, 2015 - The Washington Post

The non-partisan Eno Center for Transportation has had it with futile attempts to raise the federal gas tax and the never-ending transfers (bailouts?) from the federal general fund to keep roads and transit funded. "Pay as you go" no longer works.

December 20, 2014 - Logistics Management

Oil prices are at a five-year low with gasoline prices averaging $2.67 a gallon, lowest since February 2010. Furthermore, they are expected to drop another 17 cents to $2.50 a gallon in time for Christmas, so why not raise the gas tax by a nickel?

December 10, 2014 - The Atlantic

The good news is that a House Republican now supports raising the gas tax to balance the ailing Highway Trust Fund. The bad news is that come Jan. 3, Rep. Tom Petri (R-Wis.), a 36-year member, will be a former congressman—he is retiring on Dec. 26

December 8, 2014 - The Huffington Post

Steve Kroft of 60 Minutes reviews road, rail, bridges, and ports to see how much investment is needed to improve the country's infrastructure, beginning in Pittsburgh and ending at a key Amtrak rail bridge in New Jersey.

November 25, 2014 - CBS News: 60 Minutes

A huge challenge for the next Congress will be finding the funds to keep the Highway Trust Fund solvent when the current patch expires on May 31.

November 14, 2014 - The Washington Post

Based on a comparison to a list of federal revenue options to make the Highway Trust Fund sustainable, one stands out far above the others—a mileage-based user fee which, surprisingly, is also one of its disadvantages, writes Eric Jaffe of CityLab.

November 5, 2014 - CityLab

Massachusetts voters will decide on Question 1 on Tuesday—an initiative petition to eliminate the automatic, annual indexing of its 26.5-cent gasoline excise tax to inflation, implemented with a three-cent gas tax increase last year.

November 2, 2014 - T4America Blog

Making up only seven percent of U.S. interstate miles, the future of toll roads is bright according to Brooking's Robert Puentes and Diane Rehm's other guests in a 52-minute, wide ranging discussion on gas taxes, toll roads, and privatization.

October 27, 2014 - WAMU

Bloomberg's editors ask rhetorically, with gas prices falling due to crashing oil prices, will the federal government raise the gas tax to fund badly needed road infrastructure? They suggest tying the gas tax to oil prices in reverse direction.

October 26, 2014 - Bloomberg View

On a Sunday talk show, Speaker John Boehner called a long-term highway bill "in the realm of doable," though he didn't give a time frame other than "in the last two years" of President Obama's term. The current short term funding expires May 31.

September 30, 2014 - The Hill

Keith Laing of The Hill breaks the news that two influential Republican U.S. Senators predict that the federal gas tax is on its "last legs." It will be replaced with an (unnamed) user fee when the current transportation funding bill expires May 31.

August 25, 2014 - The Hill

Bipartisan governors faulted Congress for failing to find long-term funds for the Highway Trust Fund, but how do their state records match their rhetoric aimed at raising federal gas taxes? Planetizen looks at some of the governors cited in the WSJ.

July 15, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

U.S. Treasury Secretary Anthony Foxx warned State DOT officials in a July 1 letter that due to declining funds in the highway account of the Highway Trust Fund, he will implement a new reimbursement policy that may cause some states to halt projects.

July 3, 2014 - The Huffington Post

After it's first hearing, the PATH Act is not looking very promising to keep federal transportation reimbursements flowing to state DOTs late next month when the Highway Trust Fund is expected to approach insolvency. The one user fee was dropped.

June 27, 2014 - Transport Topics Online

The 12-cent indexed gas tax hike isn't even a formal bill, yet it's making waves in a Republican Congressional primary in Sen. Bob Corker's home state of Tennessee. One candidate challenged another to take a position on it.

June 22, 2014 - Chattanooga Times Free Press

A surprising and unexpected bipartisan plan to increase gas and diesel taxes by 12 cents each emerged June 18 from Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). Taxes would increase six cents a gallon annually for two years.

June 19, 2014 - The Hill

A new transportation funding option proposed by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) would repeal the 18.4-cent gas tax, unchanged since 1993, with a "small" tax levied against oil companies on each barrel of oil used to make gasoline.

June 16, 2014 - The Oregonian

A Democrat and a Republican who serve on Maine's Joint Standing Committee on Transportation make a strong case for "finding the money" to keep roads, bridges, rail lines, and ports in good repair. They skirt around the issue of raising taxes though.

June 15, 2014 - Portland Press Herald