America’s transportation system is badly in need of investment. But how do we pay for it?
The simplest, most effective short-term solution is to increase the gas tax, which hasn’t been raised since 1993, even as people drive less and cars become more fuel efficient. And what better time for a small, phased-in increase then when gas prices are tumbling at the pump? It’s a good investment for America, its citizens, and its businesses.
But Americans have every right to insist that any increase comes with guarantees that the money will be spent for its intended purposes, spent wisely on genuine priority projects, and will result in an improvement to our quality of life.
Taxpayers shouldn’t have to bear the entire burden—we need to remove barriers that prevent us from leveraging up to $250 billion in private capital for transportation projects.Adequate funding is only one of the Chamber’s transportation priorities. We also support:
- A strong federal role in transportation so that our national system remains cohesive and interconnected.
- Permit streamlining so transportation projects can get off the ground more quickly, are completed in a timely manner, and keep costs low.
- More public-private partnerships that ease the strain on federal and state budgets and free up public money for projects that can’t attract private investment.
