Ahead of the deadline to reauthorize highway programs next year, some lawmakers say drivers shouldn’t be subsidizing transit systems and other nonhighway spending.
There is an emerging debate about whether to raise the federal motor fuels tax as part of the surface transportation authorization that Congress must pass by the end of fiscal 2020 to avoid Highway Trust Fund insolvency. The taxes of 18.4 cents per gallon on gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon on diesel fuel haven’t been increased since 1993. The trust fund also receives revenue from several other excise taxes, including a sales tax on heavy truck ...