12.27.07

AAS Takes Up Fight For Raising The Gas Tax

Posted in Around The State, Central Texas, Commentary, Good Stuff, Privatization, Road Issues at 1:33 pm by wcnews

It’s encouraging to see the AAS finally accept the fact that no matter how futile they previously thought it was to advocate for a raise in the gas tax, that it’s now the only choice we have, Like cars in traffic, gas tax doesn’t budge. While it would have been much more productive for them to have done this before the CAMPO vote, it seems they have now come to the conclusion that as long as Ric Williamson and his band of Perry appointed cronies are running TxDOT nothing that comes from that agency can be trusted.

In late August the AAS had this to say about the upcoming CAMPO vote on toll roads in Austin:

We have supported an increase in gasoline taxes, but there’s no reason even now to think that will happen, and there is no road fairy to step in. Central Texas is growing, shows no signs of stopping and already lacks sufficient highway capacity.

The choice remains simple: Use tolls to finance highway expansion and reconstruction that was needed yesterday built within a decade or so, or don’t and watch traffic get ever worse.

Actually, it’s not much choice at all

AS EOW pointed out back then there’s always a choice.

Choice? In this scenario there is not a choice. I believe there is a choice and it’s not one that the AAS or many politicians, if any, have the courage to take on. It entails doing what the people want, not doing what is easy. It entails taking a tough stand, stepping out front, breaking down GOP talking points, and leading on this issue. If put to a public vote these politicians know the toll roads would fail, overwhelmingly. But they still proceed as if this is the only option.

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It is entirely possible to halt bad public policy. What it takes is an informed public. Most people when faced with the stark financial differences to their personal pocket book of the two choices below, would logically choose raising the gas tax over tolling roads. Raise the gas tax 8¢/gallon and index it to inflation, or drive roads with tolls of – and we’ll be generous – 15¢/mile. Broken down like this it becomes even more clear:

If the gas tax was raised by 8¢. Assuming your car gets 20 miles a gallon and your daily commute on the toll road will be 20 miles (not, by any means inconceivable) you’d spend only an extra 8¢ per day driving to and from work. That’s the non-toll road math. So how much will it cost you with the tolls.

Again working with the 15¢/per mile scenario. using the same assumptions as above, you’d pay $3.00 per day in tolls. Using toll road math, that’s cheaper than 8¢.

This flawed logic must be accepted for someone to believe that tolls are cheaper than raising the gas tax. Toll roads are nothing more than an attempt to disguise a huge tax increase. In the above scenario the gas tax will go up every two years at the rate of inflation. But no one should for a second be under the false impression that the tolls won’t be increasing on these roads too. They will and, more than likely, at a much more than the rate of inflation.

Nothing kills bad public policy faster then bringing the facts to the public’s attention.

Today’s editorial in the AAS is encouraging because of the fact that they are acknowledging that no matter how futile this argument might seem right now, it’s the only way to bring equitable transportation funding to Texans. They’re also acknowledging that it’s going to take leadership. We need someone to put their political neck on the line and come out for raising taxes.

An increase of 10 cents per gallon would raise roughly $1 billion per year. Ten cents would be a notable increase but hardly shocking. Federal statistics show that the average gasoline price as of mid-December in Texas was 65 cents a gallon higher than a year ago.No one wants to pay more, but a 10 cent tax increase would have at least one big advantage over other gas price increases: The money would be spent here on highways, not shipped to Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Russia or elsewhere.

Of course, lawmakers could accept more tolling on highways. Or continue to pretend that somehow, some way, new highways will get built without costing anybody any money.

They’re right, the gas tax would have to be paid on top of the already increase price of gas. But so do tolls. If framed correctly it can be easily shown, (see above), that raising the gas tax is much, much cheaper than tolling. No matter how much the price of gas has increased.

P. S. The AAS advocates 10 cents and that may be the better number because as OffTheKuff told us a while back, 25% of the gas tax goes to public schools. Which is good because as property values begin to stagnate or decline public schools will need that money.

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