Lawmakers often talk of raising gasoline taxes and tolls as states struggle to find funding for their crumbling road networks and transportation infrastructure. But many times it’s just talk, as experts say the fear of backlash for raising taxes and tolls is generally too great to make a move that would actually make a difference in transportation budgets.
“There’s always something else besides putting in the money we need,” said Bob Chase, president of the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance. He noted that lawmakers in Virginia have resorted to audits, budget cuts and improving project efficiency before resorting to raising the gas tax there.
Most recently, public outcry led the Maryland Transportation Authority board to scale back a proposed toll increase on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
The board had proposed increasing the toll to $5 on Oct. 1 and $8 in 2013. Last week it backed down, agreeing to raise the toll to $4 in November and $6 in 2013.
Tolls on the Bay Bridge have not been raised since 1975, and Maryland and Virginia have not raised their gasoline taxes since 1992 and 1986, respectively.
Transportation authority officials have said the toll increases are desperately needed to repair structures. While the MTA’s other proposed toll increases, including the $2 increase to Baltimore’s Fort McHenry Tunnel toll, are still intact, officials did not immediately have a revised revenue estimate. They initially said the higher tolls would provide $77 million in additional revenue in the first year.
Proponents of raising transportation costs for drivers say that because of inflation, those taxes today are much less effective than when they were enacted.
“When you think of the gas tax of 17.5 cents in Virginia, really the purchasing power of that today is 7 cents,” Chase said. – Liz Farmer
