Gas taxes could leave drivers doubly down in the dumps

Drivers could be hit twice with price hikes at the gas pump as lawmakers consider two measures that would drive up the cost of fuel, which critics say puts the state’s financial burden on the backs of working people.

“Legislative leaders are trying to ram through two taxes and it will only drive up the cost of living,” MassFiscal Alliance Spokesman Paul Craney said. “If you actually want to have a discussion on transportation infrastructure, you have to start with how we’re spending our money before we ask taxpayers, who are the most generous in the country, to fork over more money so that Beacon Hill politicians can just spend it.”

Legislators have been mulling over an adjustment to the gas tax for months as a way to raise new revenue for transportation infrastructure and public transit improvements, which was discussed during a meeting between Speaker Robert DeLeo and House leadership earlier this week.

Meanwhile, Gov. Charlie Baker is engaged in a multi-state Transportation Climate Initiative, which would charge transportation fuel companies for the carbon emissions associated with the gas and diesel they sell. Half of that money would go towards Baker’s $18 billion transportation bond bill, which includes major investments in the MBTA.

A Baker spokeswoman said the measure, “has been met with a broad coalition of support,” from folks in the business and environmental fields, including the Mass. High Tech Council, the Associated Industries of Massachusetts, MassTaxpayers Foundation and the Environmental League of Massachusetts.

Those carbon fees would be passed along to the consumer through gas prices and drive up the cost of living, according to Craney and Christopher Carlozzi, the State Director of the National Federation of Independent Business.

“Lawmakers talk about affordability and wanting to make sure residents can afford to live in Massachusetts and yet here we are talking about taxes that are going to be raised on every commuter, worker, consumer, small business and working family,” Carlozzi said. “This will just be one more thing that makes Massachusetts unaffordable.”

Raise Up Massachusetts officials argued that the gas tax increases are too regressive in a letter to legislators Thursday as well.

The Massachusetts Business Coalition on Transportation and the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce have indicated their support for the Transportation Climate Initiative and a 15-cent gas tax increase phased in over a three-year period.

Rooney argued that the gas tax in Massachusetts has been held “artificially low” for over 30 years, increasing by “only” three cents since 1991.

“The gas tax has long been an established source of revenue for transportation funding in the Commonwealth and, frankly, nationally,” Rooney said.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2N2duer