McAuliffe and Trump share an idea: Raise the federal gas tax

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe today called on Congress to raise the federal gas tax.

“I think they should raise the gas tax. No one else will say that,” said McAuliffe.

The increased tax could be used to pay for transportation improvements, to include repairing and American Legion Bridge, a structure that connects the state with Maryland on I-495 Capital Beltway he said is in need of repair.

“It’s fine right now, but it needs some work. But what if we had to shut that down? That is a major thoroughfare between Maryland and Virginia,” said McAuliffe.

The governor Congress to find a dedicated source of funding for transportation maintenance and improvements. It’s an idea he shares with President Trump, who last month suggested raising the gas tax not touched since 1993.

“Virginia’s infrastructure needs won’t be financed with fairy dust. The federal gas tax hasn’t been raised in more than 20 years. If we are going to get Prince William County commuters out of traffic, we need to look at all options. That includes looking at raising the federal gas tax and indexing it to inflation, expanding transit, and public-private partnerships,” stated Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Fairfax, Prince William) in an email.

McAuliffe spoke to business owners who gathered for a Prince William Chamber of Commerce event Tuesday at the Hylton Performing Arts Center near Manassas. He also talked about the importance of other statewide infrastructure to include the Port of Virginia in Hampton Roads, now the deepest port on the East coast.

Virginia in 2013 repealed its 17.5 cents per gallon sales fuels tax for a wholesale tax on gasoline. Lawmakers replaced it with a 3.5% wholesale tax on gasoline based on the average price of a gallon of gas between Jan 1 and July 1.