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A6   U.S. NEWS
                      Monday 15 april 2019





























            GOP states discover a tax hike they have to like: for roads



            By DAVID EGGERT                                                                                                     Speaker  Nancy  Pelosi  and
            Associated Press                                                                                                    Trump  talked  this  month
            LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Af-                                                                                           about working together on
            ter  passing  waves  of  tax                                                                                        an infrastructure package.
            cuts  in  recent  years,  some                                                                                      In  Michigan,  the  roads
            lawmakers  in  several  Re-                                                                                         have become a state joke.
            publican-dominated states                                                                                           Contests  are  held  to  find
            have  decided  it’s  time                                                                                           the  worst  pothole.  An  ice
            to  make  a  big  exception                                                                                         cream  made  by  a  Shel-
            and are pushing for tax in-                                                                                         by  Township  company  is
            creases to fix roads that are                                                                                       called  the  “Michigan  Pot
            crumbling from years of ne-                                                                                         Hole.”
            glect.                                                                                                              A  12-year-old  Muskegon
            In  the  past  month  alone,                                                                                        Heights  boy  recently  at-
            the  Republican  governors                                                                                          tracted  attention  on  local
            of Ohio, Alabama and Ar-                                                                                            TV and social media for fill-
            kansas  have  signed  fuel                                                                                          ing the ankle-deep pits on
            tax  hikes.  Meanwhile,  pro-                                                                                       his street with dirt.
            posed increases are being                                                                                           Three  years  ago,  the  Re-
            considered by three legisla-  In a Friday, April 12, 2019, photo, Interstate Highway 75 construction continues in Troy, Mich.    publican-led   Legislature
            tures that are fully or partly                                                                     Associated Press  approved  a  $1.2  billion
            GOP-controlled,  including  the  slogan  “Fix  the  Damn  promises they made in win-   attacked    his   opponent  road  plan  that  raised  fuel
            a  whopping  45-cents-a-     Roads.”  Her  plan  would  ning  over  many  heartland  in  the  2018  campaign  as  taxes  and  vehicle  registra-
            gallon hike in Michigan.     gradually  add  45  cents  to  states  in  the  last  decade  a  tax-friendly  Democrat,  tion  fees,  and  was  heavily
            The  moves  show  a  grow-   the cost of a gallon of gas  — that getting tougher on  this month signed off on a  dependent  on  shifting  in-
            ing willingness in conserva-  by  October  2020,  which  spending  wouldn’t  mean  10.5-cent  gas  tax  increase  come tax revenue from an
            tive  places  to  take  on  the  would  be  more  than  dou-  worse services.          and  a  19-cent  diesel  tax  account that covers health
            fearsome  politics  of  higher  ble  the  current  26-cents-  In most states, the excise tax  hike. Republican Govs. Kay  care,  higher  education
            taxes, at least for infrastruc-  per-gallon  gas  tax  and  rate per gallon is fixed and  Ivey  of  Alabama  and  Asa  and  other  funding  areas.
            ture. Republicans who oth-   make  it  the  highest  in  the  doesn’t  rise  with  inflation.  Hutchinson of Arkansas last  But  the  effect  was  limited
            erwise  support  lower  taxes  country.  GOP  legislative  And  the  federal  gas  tax  month  signed  increases  and  Whitmer  warns  that
            are  acknowledging  that  leaders have dismissed the  has  remained  unchanged  that were their states’ first in  without  additional  invest-
            cutting government spend-    proposed  hike  as  way  too  since   1993.   Meanwhile,  decades, of 10 cents and 3  ment,  the  percentage  of
            ing  elsewhere  in  the  bud-  much, but they are leaving  consumers are driving more  cents respectively. And the  state-owned highways that
            get won’t cover the cost of  open the prospect of pass-   fuel-efficient vehicles or are  GOP-led General Assembly  are  rated  poor  will  double
            repairing the many miles of  ing a more modest increase  driving less, depressing rev-  in Virginia this month voted  in five years, to 44%. Local
            potholed roads and creaky  in the face of intense pres-   enue.  The  real  purchasing  to add 7 cents a gallon in  streets are worse.
            bridges.                     sure from the business com-  power  of  the  federal  gas  some  parts  of  the  state,  At  a  recent  GOP  meeting
            “It’s going to take $2.5 bil-  munity.In  some  states,  Re-  tax has fallen by 40% over  which was a win for Demo-  in  Grand  Rapids,  Republi-
            lion  a  year,”  said  Detroit  publican-leaning  interests  the  past  quarter-century,  cratic Gov. Ralph Northam.  can  state  Rep.  Lynn  Afen-
            Regional  Chamber  CEO  have  become  the  biggest  and repair costs rise signifi-     Fuel  tax  increases  also  are  doulis said many of her col-
            Sandy  Baruah  of  Michi-    backers of higher taxes for  cantly when roads decline  under      consideration   in  leagues  first  want  to  look
            gan’s road-building needs.  this purpose, which is seen  to a rating of poor or worse.  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota,  into redirecting other state
            “Anyone  who  thinks  you  as necessary for economic  This  winter,  Michigan’s  De-   where power is divided be-   spending  to  roads  and  to
            can  cut  even  half  of  that  development.              partment of Transportation  tween the parties.            see  the  2015  laws  fully  im-
            out  of  other  elements  of  While   consumers     are  had  to  close  10  miles  of  The  state  plans  pay  little  plemented.  A  number  of
            the  state  budget  without  acutely  conscious  of  pric-  Interstate  75  in  suburban  heed  to  President  Donald  Republicans hope to dedi-
            having significant ramifica-  es  at  the  pump,  legisla-  Detroit — one of the state’s  Trump’s  latest  proposal  for  cate  Michigan’s  sales  tax
            tions to real people, you’re  tors  are  struggling  to  get  most   heavily   trafficked  $200  billion  in  federal  in-  on motor fuel to the trans-
            smoking  something  that’s  around the difficult realities  stretches — because of ve-  frastructure  spending.  An  portation budget, but they
            not legal.”                  of  the  fuel  surcharge  that  hicle damage from cracks  earlier  plan  died  in  Con-  have not detailed how that
            Democratic  Gov.  Gretch-    funds  transportation  proj-  and potholes.               gress  and  was  heavily  de-  would be done without slic-
            en  Whitmer  won  election  ects.  They  are  also  facing  In  Ohio,  new  Gov.  Mike  pendent  on  state  and  lo-  ing funding for schools and
            last  year  after  running  on  the  echoes  of  the  tax  cut  DeWine, a Republican who  cal funding, though House  municipalities.q
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