BillHobbs.com - Blogging about politics and media from Nashville.

February 13, 2008

Bredesen Sees Gas Tax Ahead

Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen is talking about the need to raise the gas tax. But Tennesseans are already getting only 60 percent of the roads they already pay for through the current gas tax.

Comments

Back in 2005, there was a commission created to study the relationship between national transportation needs and the ability to pay for them through the current funding mechanism, better known as the gas tax.

The commission split on exactly how to transition from gas taxes to something else but there was a clear split between those who want to return to the good old days when the federal government had 40% control over all of the transportation money.

To get back to those days we must have a federal increase from 25 to 40 cents per gallon of gas and probably something similar for other fuels. The minority report castigated the majority for their inappropriate definition of need.

The transportation funding system has become an income redistribution nightmare that is heading for a failure. If even the Soviet Union is not too big to fail, I hope that people in every state highway department will take notice and consider the possibility that their system could fail because of the way transportation resources are redistributed from have's to have-less-of's.

The report is here:http://www.transportationfortomorrow.org/

It is long and it is boring for all but policy wonks. If you give TDOT more money they will just waste it on County Seat Connector roads(State Earmarked) and rural roads(some federally earmarked) with low traffic counts. TDOT is only getting about 2 cents per vehicle mile. At this level of income, it is absolutely critical that most of the money be spent on the the roads that have or will have the most traffic. TDOT's toll raod proposals plan to collect 15 cents per mile and adjust it every year for inflation.

The majority report looks like mostly Democrats signed it to me. They have been waiting since 2005 to raise the gas tax, they just need a good commission report to hide behind first.

Posted by: Danny L. Newton at February 14, 2008 3:17 PM

Bill,
I like your blog. I believe I heard that Pelosi and gang wants to add a 40+ cent(?) tax on the federal gas tax.
cousley.blogspot.com

Posted by: Chris at February 14, 2008 10:59 PM

60 cents? You're doing pretty well!

Sorry, Northern Virginia joke here . . .

Posted by: Ron at February 15, 2008 9:58 PM