Democratic legislators, set on scrapping the hated driver “abuser fees,” are proposing raising the gasoline tax as a way to pay for Virginia’s transportation needs.
Del. Kristen J. Amundson, D-Mount Vernon, is proposing a 1.5-cent increase in the 17.5-cent tax, which would raise the $65 million a year the abuser fees were created to generate.
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“A 1.5-cent increase will allow us to repeal the fees and refund those who already got them,” Amundson said.
The abuser fees, enacted last year as part of a statewide transportation funding package, were meant to help Virginia’s growing highway maintenance deficit. They quickly came under fire, especially from Democrats, because they targeted only in-state drivers and added hundreds or thousands of dollars to the costs of some traffic offenses.
Senate Democrats committed to scrapping the fees Thursday but would not comment on how the money they would raise would be replaced.
Nonetheless, Del. Dave Albo, R-Springfield, one of the fees’ chief architects, expected senators to seek to raise the gas tax.
“It’s the most ludicrous thing I’ve ever heard, that some of them want to cut taxes on criminal drivers and increase taxes on law-abiding citizens, and that’s basically what they’re doing,” Albo said.
He warned a 1.5-cent gas tax could be the first step in a much larger increase.
A gallon of gasoline costs an average $3.10 last week, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
State auditors reported last month that the abusive-driver fees would not raise as much revenue as predicted and failed to curtail bad driving.
Gov. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, proposed repealing the fees Wednesday, joining lawmakers of both parties who want to abolish them.
The highway maintenance deficit for fiscal 2009 is $290 million and growing, according to state Transportation Secretary Pierce Homer.
Income from the gas-tax increase would go toward the deficit as well as funding projects, Amundson said.
“It’s an honest replacement,” she said. “People understand it takes money to maintain our roads.”
William C. Flook contributed to this report.
Paying at the pump
Current local gasoline taxes in cents per gallon
» Virginia: 17.5
» Maryland: 23.5
» District: 20
