Gas taxes give us a break at the pump
Holiday drivers will pay less than ever at the pump for upkeep of the nation’s roads - just $19 in gas taxes for every 1,000 miles driven, a USA TODAY analysis finds. That’s a new low in inflation-adjusted dollars, half what drivers paid in 1975.
Another measure of the trend: Americans spent just 46 cents on gas taxes for every $100 of income in the first quarter of 2010. That’s the lowest rate since the government began keeping track in 1929. By comparison, Americans spent $1.18 in 1970 on gas taxes out of every $100 earned.
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State and local gas taxes average 30 cents per gallon and have changed little during the recession.
The nation’s roads are increasingly financed by other taxes and borrowing. The federal stimulus plan set aside $26.7 billion for roads, most of which will be spent by year’s end.
Frankly, if these numbers are true then this is a serious problem. America’s “addiction to oil”, most prominently expressed in the excessive ownership and use of the automobile, is being financed by the rest of the economy.
It’s time to raise the federal gasoline tax - significantly.