The Maine Wire
  • News
  • Commentary
  • Maine Wire TV
  • Podcasts
  • About
  • Contact
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending News
  • New Maine CDC Director Recommends Masks and Latest COVID Booster for Everybody Ages 6 months and Older
  • Canadian House Speaker Apologizes After Parliament Gives ‘Hero’ Nazi Veteran a Standing Ovation
  • NASCAR Driver Austin Theriault Joins the Race for Maine’s Second Congressional District
  • Temporary Ban on New Hotel, Homeless Shelter Construction Under Consideration by Bar Harbor Town Council
  • Portland Police Warn of Bitcoin ATM Extortion Scam
  • Chinese Foreign Nationals Entering U.S. Illegally at Record Levels
  • Maine Private School Teacher Was Fired After Criticizing Critical Race Theory and Posting Jordan Peterson Videos
  • Maine on Track for Record Level of Eviction Filings This Year
Facebook Twitter Instagram
The Maine Wire
Login
Monday, September 25
  • News
  • Commentary
  • Maine Wire TV
  • Podcasts
  • About
  • Contact
The Maine Wire
Home » News » Pay attention to looming gas tax increase
News

Pay attention to looming gas tax increase

Rich CebraBy Rich CebraJanuary 14, 2020Updated:January 14, 2020No Comments3 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Reddit
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

Progressive lawmakers are in pursuit of an ever-expanding state government in Augusta. Their neglecting to properly fund our infrastructure, and then declaring a crisis that can only be fixed with more and more taxpayer dollars, is a prime example of the bloated, dysfunctional and out-of-touch government that has plagued our state for years.

When was it decided that it is okay to neglect funding our infrastructure while ballooning other state government spending? Maine’s transportation funding shortfall is a manufactured crisis being used as an excuse to once again fleece state taxpayers.

We don’t have a revenue problem in Maine, we have a revenue allocation problem. Plenty of money existed in state coffers to fix our transportation funding shortfall, it was just spent in the wrong places (needlessly growing government) during biennial budget negotiations. Despite what you hear from some lawmakers or the media, there is no legitimate need to raise taxes on hardworking Mainers to fix this problem; the money has been there from the beginning.

In a move consistent with her political beliefs, Gov. Janet Mills grew state government by nearly $800 million dollars on unnecessary wants, instead of needs, in the current budget. Then she and her allies in the legislature declared a crisis in transportation funding and formed a Blue Ribbon Commission to figure out the best way to take more money from hardworking Mainers.

Meanwhile, the transportation shortfall sits at $232 million. If we restructured the excise tax, re-appropriated revenues from transportation-related sales taxes, and spent more wisely during budget negotiations, the shortfall would not exist today and no tax increases would be needed.

It is my belief that the governor is leaving the proposed 17 cent gas tax increase from the Transportation Climate Initiative (TCI), yet another climate change scam, as a looming possibility so lawmakers will settle for the smaller gas tax increase that will eventually be proposed by the Blue Ribbon Commission.

This scheme could give her the sought-after political cover to meet her pledge to not raise taxes. If implemented, not a single penny of the money Maine collected from the TCI racket would help fund the road work we desperately need. The fact that she has set up a Blue Ribbon Commission, which is discussing a separate gas tax increase, reeks of political manipulation.

Either of these gas taxes can be used by unprincipled politicians and special interest lobbyists as a bargaining chip in this high stakes game of poker that uses your money, and will ultimately make it more expensive to start your car and go about your daily business.

The Blue Ribbon Commission and the TCI gas tax being discussed simultaneously is suspicious and consistent with the pattern often seen in Augusta. Progressives ask for outlandishly big increases to taxes or spending in order to sucker well-intentioned lawmakers into taking a seat at the negotiating table. Then both sides settle somewhere in the middle, giving progressives what they wanted all along.

This isn’t good-faith negotiating. This is Lucy holding, and Charlie Brown thinking he’s finally going to get a clean kick at the football.

Beware in the coming months as politicians claim victory for marginally raising your taxes, and just remember they never really had to do so to fix this problem.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Commentary diesel fuel diesel tax Featured gas tax Opinion transportation Transportation & Climate Initiative
Previous ArticleLawmakers to address the grave emergency of electric school buses
Next Article Are Maine’s clean energy policies working?
Rich Cebra

Rep. Rich Cebra, of Naples, is serving his sixth term in the Maine House of Representatives. He represents District 68 which includes the towns of Baldwin, Cornish, Naples, Parsonsfield (part) and Sebago.

Related Posts

New Maine CDC Director Recommends Masks and Latest COVID Booster for Everybody Ages 6 months and Older

September 25, 2023

Canadian House Speaker Apologizes After Parliament Gives ‘Hero’ Nazi Veteran a Standing Ovation

September 25, 2023

NASCAR Driver Austin Theriault Joins the Race for Maine’s Second Congressional District

September 25, 2023

Leave A Reply

Recent News

New Maine CDC Director Recommends Masks and Latest COVID Booster for Everybody Ages 6 months and Older

September 25, 2023

Canadian House Speaker Apologizes After Parliament Gives ‘Hero’ Nazi Veteran a Standing Ovation

September 25, 2023

NASCAR Driver Austin Theriault Joins the Race for Maine’s Second Congressional District

September 25, 2023

Temporary Ban on New Hotel, Homeless Shelter Construction Under Consideration by Bar Harbor Town Council

September 25, 2023

Portland Police Warn of Bitcoin ATM Extortion Scam

September 25, 2023
Newsletter

News

  • News
  • Campaigns & Elections
  • Opinion & Commentary
  • Media Watch
  • Education
  • Media

Maine Wire

  • About the Maine Wire
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Submit Commentary
  • Complaints
  • Maine Policy Institute

Resources

  • Maine Legislature
  • Legislation Finder
  • Get the Newsletter
  • Maine Wire TV

Facebook Twitter Instagram Steam RSS
  • Post Office Box 7829, Portland, Maine 04112

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

Sign In or Register

Welcome Back!

Login below or Register Now.

Lost password?

Register Now!

Already registered? Login.

A password will be e-mailed to you.