White House Floats 25-cent Gas Tax Hike

However, some analysts say the proposal has little chance of moving through Congress.

February 19, 2018

WASHINGTON – UPI reports that President Trump raised the idea of increasing the federal gasoline tax last week during a bipartisan meeting with Congress, a proposal that comes on the heels of an expansive infrastructure plan and a budget bill.

Groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce support the plan, saying an increase in the gas tax is necessary to modernize the nation’s infrastructure.

“A few weeks ago, we turned up the volume on the infrastructure conversation by offering up a few ideas of our own, and it’s encouraging to see that this administration shares our commitment to tackling this challenge in a meaningful way, and soon. This will be no small undertaking. America’s infrastructure needs are significant and there’s a lot of work ahead, but now is the time to get to it,” said U.S. Chamber President and CEO Thomas J. Donohue.

However, some analyst say that making gas more expensive does not make sense. Patrick DeHaan, a petroleum analyst for GasBuddy, told UPI that the added 25 cents to the gas tax would be more than double what it is today.

"I'm sure with gas prices already likely to face pressure to rise this spring and summer versus last year, any such move would be political suicide for both Trump and politicians that go along," DeHaan said. "In addition, it adds insult to injury since many states have already raised gas faces on their own."

UPI notes that there might not be much support for a higher gas tax beyond the White House. Marc Short, the legislative affairs director for President Trump, told Bloomberg News that "there is not support for a gas tax in Congress."

“I don’t think there is support for it right now,” Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) told Bloomberg. Asked whether there’s support among Senate Republicans to increase the fee, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) spokesman Don Stewart referred to previous statements made by his boss: “It’s always no.”

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