Why I Voted Against Tom Corbett’s Gasoline Tax

On Monday, Governor Tom Corbett signed a bill to provide an additional $2.3 billion per year in transportation funding. The bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 113-85, with a breakdown of 65 Republicans and 48 Democrats voting in favor of it. I strongly believe we need massive infrastructure investments in Pennsylvania, but after lots of thoughtful deliberation, I was a "NO" vote on this particular proposal. I’d like to explain why.

It might first be useful to know the details of exactly how the $2.3 billion per year is being generated. The lion’s share of the funding will come from increasing the tax paid by wholesale purchasers of gasoline (mainly gas stations). Assuming the wholesalers pass the tax along to us at the pump (which will definitely happen), the gasoline tax for Pennsylvania drivers will rise by approximately 28 cents per gallon over a five-year period.

That increase will boost the state gas tax from the current 31.2 cents a gallon to 59.2 cents by 2018 and will take Pennsylvania from having the fifth-highest gasoline tax to the highest in the nation. The gasoline tax accounts for about 82% of the transportation funding, with the remainder to come from a variety of increased fees and fines (over one hundred different increases in total).

So why did I vote against this proposal?

I simply could not justify a vote for Governor Corbett's $2.3 billion tax increase on everyday families, many of whom already struggle to keep the tank full, while maintaining the billions of dollars in tax giveaways to the gas industry. The Marcellus Shale industry is disproportionally responsible for the deterioration of the roads in my district and pays not one penny for their repair and maintenance, which I believe is fundamentally unfair to Pennsylvania taxpayers. In case you’re wondering, the Marcellus Shale Impact Fee, despite being filled with industry kickbacks, does not contribute anything towards state transportation funding.

I have met with Penndot on numerous occasions, and they have confirmed that many state roads in my legislative district are being destroyed much faster than normal because of the high volume of heavy truck traffic associated with the natural gas industry. Unfortunately, Penndot has failed to bond many of these roads, which means out-of-state companies are getting a free ride and we’re getting stuck with the price tag.

A comprehensive transportation proposal should include shared sacrifice. I could not in good conscience vote to put the burden solely on the backs of my constituents while allowing the out-of-state companies who are a large part of our infrastructure problems get away without being any part of the solution to those problems.

I also disagreed with the changes to the Prevailing Wage, insisted upon by Republican leadership that will hurt working middle-class Pennsylvanians.

I respect my colleagues who voted for the proposal and I understand their reasons, but at the end of the day I represent the people of the 46th Legislative District. I agree we needed to fix transportation funding in Pennsylvania, but putting the burden solely on middle-class families wasn’t the right way to do it. As such, I truly believe the narrow approach demanded by this particular proposal was not in the best interest of the people I represent, so I voted NO.