Dec. 1, 2014

Michigan’s state Senate and the New Jersey General Assembly are both considering increasing federal tax spending for transportation, according to a recent article in The Hill.

“Infrastructure advocates have pushed lawmakers to increase the federal gas tax for the first time in 21 years, but lawmakers have been reluctant to ask drivers to pay more at the pump despite a $16 billion-per-year deficit that has developed in the nation’s transportation funding,” noted the Hill. “The gas tax, currently 18.4 cents per gallon, has been the traditional source of funding for the Highway Trust Fund, which is set to run out of money in May 2015. The gas tax only brings in approximately $34 billion per year, however, and current transportation funding is closer to $50 billion a year.”

Read the original article published in the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association newsletter here.