AFP & Freedom Partners: No Gas Tax Increase

Feb 14, 2018 by AFP

Arlington, VA – Responding to an Axios report that President Trump today “endorsed a 25-cent gas tax hike to pay for infrastructure,” Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce repeated their strong opposition to any increase in the federal gas to pay for new infrastructure spending.

AFP and Freedom Partners sent a letter to the president on January 23 that argued against a gas tax increase saying, “efforts to improve our nation’s infrastructure should focus on maximizing taxpayer dollars by targeting priorities such as roads and bridges, eliminating wasteful spending, removing regulatory barriers that delay projects and drive up costs, and ensuring there is proper oversight and accountability.”

READ THE AFP – FREEDOM PARTNERS LETTER HERE

Just last week, AFP led a coalition of nearly 30 taxpayer advocate organizations on a letter to Congress asserting opposition to increasing the federal gas tax as part of infrastructure legislation.

READ THE FULL COALITION LETTER HERE

“Raising the gas tax is a bad idea,” wrote the organizations. “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.”

AFP Chief Government Affairs Officer Brent Gardner issued the following statement:

“Increasing the gas tax is the wrong approach to addressing our nation’s infrastructure needs. The American people are just beginning to feel the benefits of the recently passed tax cuts bill. Instead of undermining the relief taxpayers just received, the president and Congress should focus on smarter spending and breaking through the regulatory gridlock that delays projects and drives up costs. The taxpayers deserve nothing less.”

Freedom Partners Executive Vice President Nathan Nascimento issued the following statement:

“The problem with the way Washington does infrastructure isn’t a matter of funds, it’s a matter of execution. There’s no reason for hardworking taxpayers to dig deeper into their pockets at the gas pump so the federal government can keep throwing their money at boondoggles that routinely run billions of dollars over budget and years behind schedule. Washington should stop asking taxpayers to keep funding a system that doesn’t work and start working on fixing what’s wrong.”