11/28/07-Assemblyman John Wisniewski, D-Middlesex, wants lawmakers to consider increasing the state’s fuel tax rates to help pay for transportation work. Gov. Jon Corzine is calling for another revenue enhancer.
The state’s 14.5 cent-per-gallon tax on gasoline and 17.5 cent-per-gallon tax on diesel are among the lowest in the nation.
Wisniewski, chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee, said it might be time to boost the levies. He said it would be a more responsible alternative to the governor’s plan to bridge the transportation funding gap by issuing bonds that would be paid back with higher tolls, The Associated Press reported.
Wisniewski said doubling the tax should generate enough revenue to fix bridges and roads in need of repair without borrowing money. He said it would also guarantee a steady flow of money for many years.
However, the state’s transportation commissioner, Kris Kolluri, disagreed. He said the tax rates would have to increase to about 60 cents per gallon to meet all the transportation needs, The AP reported.
The governor has not indicated how much tolls might increase, but Kolluri has suggested a 45 percent increase is needed to foot the bill for improvements on the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway.
At the same time, Corzine continues to refuse requests by Republicans to release an $800,000 consultant’s report analyzing how the state can earn more money from its toll roads. A judge ruled the governor can keep the report private because he hasn’t made a decision about it.