Since the end of the session, I've heard pretty much one thing from Republicans: gas tax, gas tax, gas tax. Comments on blogs and newspapers' websites are full of denunciations of the gas tax, and GOP Ron Carey spouts off on it in an article by Doug Grow. Man is this thing making them mad. But let's get one thing straight: this gas tax is not the reason why gas prices are so high! In fact, by refusing to ignore the problem or just put it on the credit card, the DFL is saving money in the long run.
According to minnesotagasprices.com, the average retail price of gasoline right now is $3.70/gallon. The new gas tax currently is an additional 2 cents, or one-half of one percent of what we're paying at the pump. By the time it's up to five cents, the price of gasoline will be at well over $4.00/gallon. That will make the new gas tax 1.25 percent of what we're paying at the pump.
In the end, it's more expensive to do nothing. The Texas Transportation Institute [PDF] estimates that congestion cost our region $1.1 billion a year, or $790 per person, in 2005 (the most recent data available). That's up from $653 in 2000. If we don't act, congestion will go up by the same amount or more over the next five years. At five cents a gallon, and 20 miles to the gallon, the gas tax is a bargain if you drive less than 55,000 miles a year.
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