Michigan, How Does A 47 Cents per Gallon Gas Tax Sound To You?
Yesterday I reported to you that in discussing funding to fix our “damn” roads Michigan's Depart of Transportation Director, Paul Ajegba was quoted saying:
We don't have the money to build it right
Well then how much more does the state believe they need from Michigan drivers if the $1.2 billion dollar a year increase in our gas tax and fees they passed in 2015 and goes fully into effect in 2021, was not enough?
The Detroit News is reporting that a new bipartisan group that is co-chaired by former Republican state Senator Ken Sikkema and Democrat Bob Emerson believes we need to raise Michigan’s gas tax 47-cents a gallon.
You did read that correctly, they believe that Michigan needs to increase our gas tax 47-cents per gallon over the next 9 years. What will the tax bring into Michigan coffers with that kind of tax increase?
They project that Michigan will extract an additional $2.7 billion per year to fix our “damn” roads and bridges. That means if you have a 20 gallon gas tank the increase to you would be $9.40 every time you fill up your tank.
How many times a week do you fill your gas tank up? Can you imagine how much money this will take out of the pockets of people who make less than $50,000 a year. Well, let us speculate that a person fills there gas tank up just once per week, the total of this gas tax increase will take an approximately additional $500 per year.
Remember this is on top of the $1.2 billion they just increased our gas tax and fees just a couple of years ago.
Ken Sikkema, former Senate majority leader was quoted in the article stating:
There’s no question there’s a need, and no question about the importance of this…It’s our hope that this proposal jump starts that important conversation…The problem hasn’t been solved, and it needs to be solved
Their bipartisan proposal will increase our gas tax an additional 5 cents per-gallon in gasoline and diesel taxes in each of the next nine years after the increase is passed.
No politician, former or current, is really fully explaining why they just had a $1.2 billion dollar a year gas tax and fee increase and now they want an additional $2.7 billion per year. I know they will say that the last increase was not enough, but then why did they not swallow the whole enchilada when they first raised the taxes and fees?
Because they knew politically they would all lose their seats.
Remember the fable that asks: How do you boil a frog? If you put a frog suddenly into boiling water, it will jump out. BUT if the frog is put in warm water which is then brought to a boil slowly, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death.
We first need an accounting of the 10’s of billions of dollars they have collected in gas taxes and vehicle fees over the years before we should agree or accept any more increases. Did all of the taxes collected on our consumption of gas and the fees for our vehicles go to fixing the “damn” roads?
Well the answer to that my friends is NO!
Where did all the money go, it is a very simple question that they may not want to answer because we the people will not be happy about their answer.