GAS TAX BILL TO BE HEARD BY HOUSE
FINANCE COMMITTEE
SB
713, sponsored by Senator Saslaw, will increase the
state motor fuels tax $0.01 per gallon in each of the
next five fiscal years with the revenues deposited to
the Highway Maintenance and Operating Fund. Each cent
on the gas tax generates $50 million per year. The total
impact to transportation maintenance funding will be
over $750 million over the next Six Year Improvement
Plan!
SB 713 has passed the Senate and has been referred to
the House Finance Committee. At this time, it is the
only bill that would replace revenues lost by the repeal
of the abusive driver fees.
Please contact members of the House Finance Committee
and tell them you support passage of SB 713.
Members of the House Finance Committee are: (E-MAIL
ADDRESS LINKS are below. General contact information for
phone calls or faxes can be found by clicking the name
of the committee member at Finance
Committee Contact Information)
Harry
Purkey (R-Va. Beach)
Robert
Orrock (R-Thornburg)
Lee Ware
(R-Powhatan)
Kathy
Byron (R-Lynchburg)
Mark Cole
(R-Fredericksburg)
Tim Hugo
(R-Centerville)
Ben
Cline (R-Amherst)
Jeff
Frederick (R-Woodbridge)
Tom Gear
(R-Hampton)
Bob
Marshall (R-Manassas)
Matt Lohr
(R-Harrisonburg)
Chris
Peace (R-Mechanicsville)
Jimmy
Massie (R-Henrico)
Joe
Johnson (D-Abingdon)
Ken
Melvin (D-Portsmouth)
Bob Hull
(D-Falls Church)
Vivian
Watts (D-Annandale)
Frank
Hall (D-Richmond)
Lynwood
Lewis (D-Accomac)
Chuck
Caputo (D-Chantilly)
Ward
Armstrong (D-Martinsville)
Brian
Moran (D-Alexandria)
Here is the message for the Committee members:
SB 713 is a modest but important measure to
replace critically needed transportation maintenance
funds lost by the repeal of the abusive driver fees.
The cost to the average driver is less than a
dollar a month while the $50 million per year this
measure will generate is critically important to
maintaining roads and bridges.
I urge you to support SB 713 to help close the gap
between revenues that exist and those that we need. The
longer the Commonwealth waits, the more solutions cost
every taxpayer and ultimately our children.
Name:
Address
Background Information:
With the elimination of abuser fees, maintenance
funds will be reduced by $60 million a year, or $360
over the next VDOT Six Year Improvement Plan. Virginia's
basic highway maintenance needs now exceed revenues by
more than $260 million a year with that money coming out
of the construction program.
Meanwhile, Virginia has the nation's ninth lowest gas
tax (17.5-cents per gallon). A one-cent per gallon gas
tax essentially keeps the current $300 million shortfall
constant.
Certainly most if not all of the 1-cent per year
increase would be absorbed by the market. The average
motorist would pay less than a $1.00 a month.
Out of state motorists would pay their share for
using roads in Virginia.
The longer state legislators procrastinate, the more
expensive the burden becomes. It will never be cheaper
to close or eliminate the transportation maintenance
shortfall than during the 2008 legislative session.
|
