CEI Joins Coalition Letter in Opposition to Raising the Federal Gas Tax

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Dear Representative:

On behalf of our organizations and the millions of Americans we represent across all 50 states, we write to express our opposition to raising the federal gas tax. Federal policy should concentrate first on the many impediments to a more efficient, effective, and user-accountable transportation network.

Raising the gas tax is a bad idea. It will make the burden of government on families and businesses heavier. A higher gas tax means higher prices not just on gas, but on goods and services throughout the economy.

These costs would inevitably be passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices, resulting in a regressive tax hike on those who can least afford it.

We applaud the landmark tax reform bill recently approved by Congress and signed into law by President Trump. Millions of families and small businesses will benefit from these pro-growth tax cuts after years of slow economic growth and stagnant wages. Undermining the impact of this long overdue and badly needed tax relief by raising the federal gas tax would be counterproductive and misguided – hitting less affluent Americans and those living on fixed incomes the hardest.

Rather than seeking to increase prices at the pump in the form of a tax hike, lawmakers should first reform the way existing transportation dollars are spent.

Too often, highway funds are diverted to non-highway projects, a problem that worsens with each passing year. This non-highway spending shortchanges motorists, and undermines the user-pays principle.

In addition, labor mandates and byzantine planning and analysis requirements can needlessly delay the completion of transportation projects and contribute to increased costs. Modernizing these burdensome planning requirements and sweeping away cost-boosting labor restrictions would stretch existing dollars further.

Before asking Americans to pay more for a tank of gas, Congress should pursue common-sense reforms that properly prioritize federal transportation infrastructure needs, reduce costly and time-consuming bureaucratic hurdles, and ensure that tax dollars are spent on roads and bridges, not frittered away on unrelated pet projects, red tape and paperwork.

Sincerely,

Brent Wm. Gardner
Chief Government Affairs Officer,
Americans for Prosperity

Michael A. Needham
CEO,
Heritage Action for America

Grover Norquist
President,
Americans for Tax Reform

David McIntosh
President,
Club for Growth

Nathan Nascimento
Executive Vice President,
Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce

Mark Scribner
Senior Fellow,
Competitive Enterprise Institute

Jason Pye
Vice President of Legislative Affairs,
FreedomWorks

Tom Schatz
President,
Citizens Against Government Waste

Pete Sepp
President,
National Taxpayers Union

Phil Kerpen
President,
American Commitment

Mario H. Lopez
President,
Hispanic Leadership Fund

Daniel Garza
President,
The Libre Initiative

Carrie L. Lukas
President,
Independent Women’s Forum

Heather R. Higgins
President and CEO,
Independent Women’s Voice

Harry C. Alford
President and CEO,
National Black Chamber of Commerce

Jeffrey Mazella
President,
Center for Individual Freedom

Donald Bryson
President,
Civitas Action

David Barnes
Policy Director,
Generation Opportunity

Norm Singleton
President,
Campaign for Liberty

Judson Phillips
Founder,
Tea Party Nation

Seton Motley
President,
Less Government

Kim Crockett, Esq.
Vice President, Senior Fellow and General Counsel,
Center of the American Experiment

Tom Brinkman, Jr.
Chairman,
Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST)

Matthew Kandrach
President,
Consumer Action for a Strong Economy (CASE)

Katie McAulliffe
Executive Director,
Digital Liberty

Brett Healy
President,
John K. MacIver Institute

Sean Noble
President,
American Encore

Annette Meeks
CEO,
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota

Andrew F. Quinlan
President,
Center for Freedom and Prosperity