Critics of gas tax should halt deceit
The governor had barely signed legislation to raise Washington state’s gasoline tax by 9.5 cents over the next three years, when two radio talk show hosts on the West Side hatched petitions for a citizen’s initiative that would repeal the law. Kirby Wilbur and John Carlson, the former gubernatorial candidate, quickly raised more than $80,000 and launched a Web site to kick off their battle. They need to gather 250,000 valid signatures by early July.
A visit to the Web site reveals arguments thick with hyperbole and hysteria and thin on factual information. Put another way: Caution! Gas tax whoppers ahead!
The new gas tax, vehicle weight and license fees will cost families hundreds of dollars each year. And it won’t cut a single minute off the time you spend stuck in traffic.
The transportation package does raise money based on vehicle weight and it also raises the fees for driver’s licenses, permits and license plates. But most motorists will still be paying much less than they did under the old motor vehicle excise tax. And along with being a bizarre prediction, the claim that the $8.5 billion, 16-year package won’t shave any traffic time misrepresents the point of the funding.
Washington state has neglected road and bridge improvements for far too long. It has gotten to the point where major highways are dangerous. The Alaskan Way Viaduct, which was damaged by an earthquake, and the State Route 520 floating bridge are two prime examples. Most of the new funding will go toward shoring up deteriorating highways and bridges.
Critics of this gas tax and previous iterations harp on the lack of new pavement, but the West Side cannot solve its traffic snarls that way. The population will continue to grow, but the amount of land available in the narrow Interstate 5 corridor will remain finite. No state has solved its traffic problems by merely laying more asphalt.
(The) legislative gas tax increase costs us $8.5 billion and helps no one. Even worse, it doesn’t provide enough money to finish a single project. That means even higher taxes are just down the road!
Helps no one? Drivers will be safer and goods and services won’t be delayed by collapsed bridges and crumbling pavement. These improvements will be a boon to the state’s economy. There isn’t enough money to complete a single project because legislators want local governments to pitch in on large projects that benefit them most. That’s good news for residents in counties with smaller populations, and it paves the way for tolls, which are a fair way to assess users of heavily traveled highways.
$800 million for rail and transit projects from a tax meant to pay for better roads. I-405 receives little money …
Rail and transit projects are needed as transportation alternatives, and Interstate 405 is scheduled to receive $972 million over the next fours. That’s more than a “little money.”
Gas tax critics should drop their deceptive claims. They say the state has serious transportation problems, but they never put forward a credible plan. The state will never solve its traffic problems without spending money and pursuing alternatives to the state’s current transportation rut.