Keep Our Fair Share

Here is a letter I just received from congressman Jeff Flake that I found interesting about gas taxes.

It’s been a few weeks since I last wrote to you, so I thought I’d drop you a short note to let you know a little about what I’m working on these days.

You may not be aware of this, but for every dollar you pay in gas taxes, only 93 cents comes back to Arizona. The remaining seven cents goes to other states deemed more deserving by a government bureaucratic formula. Some states, like Alaska, receive over four dollars for every dollar in gas taxes they send the federal government, while West Virginia receives over twice as much as they send. This simply isn’t right and that’s why I’ve been fighting this since I’ve been in Congress. It’s time Arizona, and the other 29 donor states, receive their fair share.

Earlier this week, I co-authored a piece with Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) that ran in the Washington Times. Please click here to read the article.

You might remember that originally the gas tax was instituted to pay for the construction of the national highway system. That system has been completed for over 20 years, yet the gas tax remains and, incredibly, some even want to raise it! If the tax must remain, it should be reduced from its current rate of 18.4 cents per gallon to the amount that it would take for the necessary upkeep and repair, which is estimated to be about three cents.

What Senator Hutchison and I are proposing will not raise taxes on anyone. It simply allows Arizona to opt out of the current funding formula until we fix the current system so Arizonans can finally receive their fair share.

I realize this might not be the most compelling issue you’ll hear about today, but it certainly is an important one. I would appreciate hearing your comments on this issue, or any other issue you may have concerns about.

As always, thanks for your continued support.

Jeff

If the national highway system has been completed for over 20 years already, then why is this tax still in existence? I agree that 18.4 cents per gallon is too much if it only takes 3 cents a gallon to maintain and repair our roads, so change is needed. I think we should let our representatives know that this is an excessive tax.

[edit on 2-5-2009 by FelipeTheMexican]

Why is it still being taxed? Well You know the answer to that don't You? It's because the greedy thieves in Washington still want to steal our hard earned money. The only way to insure our freedoms is to starve the beast. To bad liberals and conservatives haven't though about that yet. Those two groups still think We need a large federal government to live. I live my daily life with little government interactment what soever. Oh and before You big government lovers out there say well this and that like You always do I don't have a problem with state governments which does furnish the so called services We need.