Raise Gas Tax by 40 cents a Gallon?

According to a new report from a panel that included some of the nation’s leading transportation policy experts, we are not paying nearly enough in gas taxes and the tax should be increased by 40 cents a gallon.
Most New Mexicans will dismiss such findings out of hand and justifiably so. But the fact is that there are several major road projects around the state that should be top priorities including the Paseo and I-25 interchange in Albuquerque just to name one.
The problem is that governments are poor stewards of transportation resources. Congress wastes hundreds of millions on “bridges to nowhere” and diverts ever-growing amounts of gas tax revenue to wasteful transit projects. At the same time, New Mexico is wasting $400 million plus $20 million in annual operating costs on the Rail Runner and diverting millions of dollars in state gas tax revenue to the General Fund.
Instead of raising the gas tax, shouldn’t we re-allocate gas tax revenues to pay for roads and bridges? Let transit users pay for their favored mode of transportation and stop stealing from tax paying motorists!