Democrats aren't the only ones eyeing the gas tax

Shaun Kenney, the outgoing spokesman for the Republican Party of Virginia, just posted an item on his personal blog headlined, "Here comes the $136 million Democratic gasoline tax."

He links to a bill pre-filed by Democratic Sen. Toddy Puller that calls for an end to the gasoline exemption from the state sales tax. Under the proposal, the 4 percent state tax would go to the Transportation Trust Fund, and the 1 percent local tax would stay with localities for transportation expenses.

According to Kenney, Puller's proposal amounts to "a $136 million tax hike on working families."

"Welcome to Richmond in the hands of Virginia Democrats," he writes.

Just a few glitches in this post:

1. In the debate over how to fund transportation projects, both Democrats and Republicans have advocated raising the tax on gasoline (or, as Puller proposes, eliminating its exemption from the state sales tax). In fact, as recently as this morning, Sen. Emmett Hanger, a Republican from Augusta, said he would like to replace the "fees" approved last session with a gas-tax increase.

And as long ago as July, when the abusive driver fees took effect and the revolution began, some Republicans were pointing proudly to their votes for tax increases. ("I have voted for tax increases for transportationi on at least two or three occasions," Sen. Ken Stolle, R-Virginia Beach, said on Cathy Lewis' "HearSay" program.)

2. Kenney writes that the tax would be "levied on every working family, senior citizen, and fixed-income taxpayer in the Commonwealth." Under the current legislation, those people are already facing higher taxes on car repairs, vehicle registration and home sales. About the only people exempt are those who are also currently exempt from the abusive driving fees -- non-residents, who would have to pay the tax on gasoline. (Puller, by the way, has also pre-filed a bill that would repeal the abusive driver fees.)

It would be more useful to debate the merits and liabilities of various fund-raising mechanisms -- or even whether there's a need to raise money for transportation projects -- than to reach for ways to couch everything in attack language.

Comments

[Shaun Kenney]

Woohoo! A policy discussion!

Here's the bottom line: The gas tax is both regressive and a short-term pool to draw from -- especially as fuel economies get better over time.

I'd like to think this is something lawmakers know and understand, so when regressive gasoline taxes which disproportionately attack working families are attacked in turn, don't be surprised.

Rather, we should be critical of proposals that are short-term, short-sighted, and regressively punish working families (such as this one). Tax fatigue is a very natural reaction to such "throw your money at it and leave" proposals such as a hike in the gasoline tax.

[Annon]

What is the whinning and carping all about? DUH? Use the road a lot.....pay a lot of taxes!!! Don't use the road system a lot...don't pay much taxes!!! Who is causing the road system to be crowded and degraded? DUH? Why those drivers who use the road A LOT! The gas tax is a USER TAX. Nothing more "FAIR"!!! DUH!