Next amendment: Gas tax hike

“Senators, let’s be very clear about this - this is a gas tax increase,” Sen. John McGee, R-Caldwell, told the Senate while introducing the next amendment to HB 96. “… This raises the state gas tax on a gallon of gas from 25 cents to 28 cents and then to 31 cents. … I think almost everyone agrees that something has to be done. … The fact is this amendment … would raise $52 million for Idaho’s roads and bridges in a time where we desperately need to maintain our infrastructure we have in the state of Idaho.” Sen. Tim Corder, R-Mountain Home, explained the portion dealing with trucks; it doesn’t change registration fees, he said, but merely deals with vehicles that have permits to run on gaseous fuels to keep the tax increase consistent. Sen. Chuck Winder, R-Boise, said, “If we defer this, we’re going to put it on our kids. … This helps both the locals and the state system.”