Right after Governor Branstad won a landslide election, he indicated interest in a gas tax increase. “The discussion will start now,” Branstad said in one of his first interviews since winning reelection. “The timing is good because gas prices have dropped significantly. That makes it a little more palatable to the public.”
Actually the timing is poor. This economy is still in recovery. There is still a lot of uncertainty, and gas, minus state-subsidized ethanol, is still above $3 a gallon. Iowans need a tax break, not a tax increase and that is unlikely to happen with a divided legislature. Iowans don’t need to pay more at the pump, Governor Branstad needs to instead cut spending where he can in order to pay for roads with existing revenue.
This is Shane Vander Hart with your Caffeinated Thought of the Day.
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