Gas Tax
Will There Be Tolls for Michigan Drivers?
The debate over tolls versus a gas tax to fix roads in Michigan does not include room for more mass transit.
June 18, 2019
House GOP Transportation Bill Would Raise Taxes on Transit and Bikes
The bill would amount to a tax increase of more than $200 million annually on American transit agencies.
July 30, 2018
Oregon’s Pay-Per-Mile Driving Fees: Ready for Prime Time, But Waiting for Approval
Oregon has led the way in developing an alternative to the gas tax, with a pilot program that levies a fee on vehicle miles traveled. While the Oregon Department of Transportation has spent years developing the mileage-based program and is ready to expand it to all vehicles statewide, it's not part of the massive transportation spending package under discussion at the legislature.
June 26, 2017
Oregon’s Transportation Funding Deal Might Make Bikes More Expensive
On Monday, the Oregon state legislature released a plan to raise about $8.1 billion over the next 10 years by increasing gas taxes, registration fees, and payroll taxes to spend on roads, transit, walking, and bicycling. It also includes a new excise tax on bicycle sales.
May 10, 2017
Clinton Pledges to Make a Big Infrastructure Push in Her First 100 Days
The industry groups behind last week's "Infrastructure Week" campaign got exciting news today when presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton announced she's going to make a big $275 billion "infrastructure" push in her first 100 days.
May 25, 2016
Obama’s Politically Impossible Transpo Plan Is Just What America Needs
It may be "seven years too late," as tactical urbanist Mike Lydon put it, but President Obama has released a transportation proposal that calls for big shifts in the country's spending priorities.
February 5, 2016
5-Year, $300 Billion “FAST Act” Will Extend Transpo Policy Status Quo to 2020
They've done it. Representatives from the House and Senate have emerged from conference committee with a five-year transportation bill, which is expected to be quickly approved and become first "long-term" bill in more than a decade.
December 2, 2015
It’s Time to Stop Pretending That Roads Pay for Themselves
If nothing else, the current round of federal transportation legislating should end the myth that highways are a uniquely self-sufficient form of infrastructure paid for by "user fees," a.k.a. gas taxes and tolls.
November 25, 2015
American Roads Depend on Handouts From Bus Riders, Cyclists, Pedestrians
Once upon a time in America, the road system was largely funded by the gas tax. But that was many Highway Trust Fund bailouts ago.
May 5, 2015