Gas Tax

The Idaho House transportation committee is scheduled to vote on Monday March 2nd, 2009 on three proposals to increase the state's fuel tax. Governor B. Otter (R)wants to increase the state fuel tax by ten cents a gallon (from 25 cents per gallon to 35 cents).Representative Leon Smith, R-Twin Falls, proposes a five-cent increase and transportation committee chairman JoAnn Wood, R-Rigby, proposed a two-cent increase.Idaho’s gas tax has not increased since 1996.
At a hearing Thursday in Boise, industry, cities, counties and highway districts championed the proposal to raise $88 million annually by 2014.It's all part of the Republican governor's plan to boost revenue by $174 million annually to fix roads and bridges. Currently 23% of funding for State roads comes from the current tax ,and Idaho receives 59 percent of its road money from the federal government.Idaho is already set to receive 200 million for transportation from the federal stimulus package .Of the $200 million, $181.9 million is for highways and $18.4 for public transit.
So where will the money be going? More Roads?