BREDESEN RAISES GAS TAX ISSUE
NASHVILLE, TN – The Tennessee Republican Party is warning Tennessee’s motorists: Get ready for a big increase in the gas tax.
Not only are Democrats in Congress mulling a proposal to hike the federal gas tax by 40 cents a gallon, Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, also a Democrat, continues to state publicly that he believes the state’s gas tax will need to be increased soon.
Bredesen raised the gas tax issue this week in a speech to the Murfreesboro Rotary Club. According to the Daily News Journal, Bredesen said the state will need to increase its gasoline tax, currently 22 cents per gallon, in order to fund what the Tennessee Department of Transportation says is $5 billion in necessary road projects over the next 10 years.
The current gas tax brings in about $644 million a year in revenue, of which about $383 million goes to TDOT to build and maintain roads. To raise an additional $500 million a year, Bredesen would need to raise the tax by about 16 cents per gallon.
“With Democrats from Washington to Nashville talking gas tax increases, it may not be long before Tennesseans fondly remember $3-a-gallon gas as a bargain,” warned Tennessee Republican party Chairman Robin Smith.
Two years ago, House Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi promised the American people that, “Democrats have a plan to lower gas prices.” Since then, with Democrats in control of Congress, the average price for a gallon of gas has gone up, not down.
The federal Energy Information Administration on Tuesday projected the price of regular gasoline, now averaging $2.96 a gallon nationwide, will hit a monthly average near $3.40 by spring.
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Bill Hobbs
Communications Director
Tennessee Republican Party
2424 21st Avenue, Suite 200
Nashville, Tennessee 37212
Phone: (615) 269-4260
Email: billhobbs@tngop.org
