U.S. Chamber of Commerce to push Trump, Congress to raise the gas tax to fund infrastructure

[DonViejo]

Source: The Washington Post




By John Wagner January 16 at 10:50 AM

With President Trump and Congress turning their attention to infrastructure in the coming weeks, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is preparing for an uphill battle: a push to raise the federal gas tax by 25 cents per gallon to help pay for the initiative.

The proposal, which will be formally introduced later this week, is part of a series of principles the nation’s largest business lobby will offer in a bid to help shape the debate about upgrading U.S. roads, bridges, airports and other critical infrastructure.

Chamber President Thomas J. Donohue said his organization wants “to put our oar in the water” and acknowledged that it would be “a tough vote” to raise the gas tax for the first time since 1993. But he argued that support has been building in the business community and elsewhere.

“I’ve been pushing this for a long, long time, but now gangs of people are pushing it,” Donohue said in an interview in which he also said immigration reform would be critical to ensuring that sufficient labor is available for public works projects.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/u-s-chamber-of-commerce-to-push-trump-congress-to-raise-the-gas-tax-to-fund-infrastructure/2018/01/16/e11345f0-fac8-11e7-a46b-a3614530bd87_story.html?utm_term=.9aebb5561a67

[Pope George Ringo II]

1. At least they're realistic

Necessary tax which we need to get moving on, but which isn't getting through a GOP government. Just lay groundwork for the future and don't expect anything to happen anytime soon.

[marble falls]

2. Fucking figures: the chamber got tax breaks and they want a regressive sales tax on fuel for us.

[LanternWaste]

9. Gasoline tax is regressive only across the top half of the income distribution

Gasoline tax is regressive only across the top half of the income distribution as SUVs, pickup trucks and minivans are purchased by mid- to high-income households, and simultaneously low-expenditure households devote a smaller share of their budget to gasoline than do their counterparts in the middle of the expenditure distribution.

(A Comparative History of Motor Fuels Taxation, 1909–2009, by Carl Geschwind)

[thesquanderer]

10. Gas tax can be regressive even if poorer people pay less of it.

The fact remains that even the poorest person with a car must pay the gasoline tax.

If people of limited means choose not to take certain trips because of the cost of putting gas in their cars, then they are negatively affected even if they end up buying less gasoline. So a measure of how much they spend on gasoline does not necessarily tell you how much the tax affects them.

Also, while as you say gas guzzlers tend to be pricey cars to begin with when purchased new, some also have relatively poor resale value. Poorer people more often buy used rather than new cars, and some of the more affordable cars in the used market can also be what were once pricier cars that don't have the best gas mileage.

[Cold War Spook]

3. I thought the gas tax was always to be used only for infrastructure.

I thought the gas tax was always to be used for infrastructure.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

4. RepubliCONs love sneaky taxes. . . nt

[ffr]

5. One tax giveaway to conservative doners, then a tax for the rest of us

to pay for stuff they use too!

Conservatives are low-life scum!

[Igel]

6. I'd go for a small increase.

Mostly for federal roads and such. Not airports. Perhaps a bit for mass transportation, but not much. Most mass trans is local, not interstate. If you think about it, though, most roads and bridges aren't federal. Some of the money goes back to the states in the form of grants or assistance. But that's not required.

A lot of people think that this has to be federal. Texas has its own gasoline tax used for funding a lot of projects. California's tax is higher. Florida's is indexed to inflation. Those taxes can be raised at home. And then there's no complaining that the taxes paid by one state's taxpayers goes to help people in other, poorer states instead of helping just their own.

[groundloop]

7. This will hit the lowest income earners the hardest

Why does this not surprise me? The instant the rich and big corporations get their tax cuts they're pushing for tax increases which will have the largest impact on the working poor and the middle class. They're certainly not doing much to hide the fact that we're in a period of trickle-up economic policy.

[bucolic_frolic]

8. Boondoggle

Total.

And they should fix what's broken before they build new roads they can't afford to maintain.

[BumRushDaShow]

11. PA has the highest aggregate gasoline taxes in the nation (77.10 cents/gal total fed/state/local)

mostly in order to fund the infrastructure here and provide a dedicated source of money to our mass transit systems (notably Philly metro's SEPTA system).



http://cdn.api.org/pdf/state-taxes/pennsylvania.pdf

[kimbutgar]

12. The rethugs in California are planning on running against the Democratic Party over

The raise of the gas tax in our state that funds infrastructure and rebuilding roads and bridges. Now with this push from chamber of commerce it makes them look ridiculous and petty.

[DallasNE]

13. I Agree, It Needs Raised

It has been 25 years since the last increase. Cost of construction is way up so it is overdue.

Fuel economy is up considerably with the inroads of hybrids to the fleet.

Increasing the gas tax would encourage even more people to buy fuel efficient cars.

It will help keep the roads public rather than toll roads.

It is really a win-win.

[BlueIdaho]

14. They are in favor of all regressive tax plans. nt.