The County Press

Just say no

Howell, Daley oppose governor’s proposed 45-cent gas tax increase



Joey Odish, owner of the Sunoco gas station/Buscemi’s Pizza at Main and DeMille in Lapeer, is opposed to the governor’s proposed gas tax. “It will hurt my customers. It’s a bad idea,” he said. Photo by Jeff Hogan

Joey Odish, owner of the Sunoco gas station/Buscemi’s Pizza at Main and DeMille in Lapeer, is opposed to the governor’s proposed gas tax. “It will hurt my customers. It’s a bad idea,” he said. Photo by Jeff Hogan

LAPEER — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer made fixing the state’s roads a cornerstone of her 2018 campaign. On Tuesday, she presented her first budget proposal that includes a plan to increase the state’s gas and diesel tax at the pump until it’s increased by 45 cents per gallon by October 2020.

Joey Odish, owner of three Sunoco gas stations in Lapeer, thinks the plan is a bad idea. “That’s a lot of money for people to pay, and it will mean they will have less money for other things,” he commented. “They need to find another way other than just hitting the people with more taxes.”

Lapeer County’s state representatives, both Republicans, agree. They believe the Democratic governor should ease up on the gas pedal on her gas tax increase proposal and her effort to make good on her campaign promise.

Rep. Gary Howell, R-Deerfield Township said the Michigan Dept. of Transportation (MDOT) has $3.5 billion earmarked for 2019 road construction projects, and another $4 billion in 2020 — money that’s beginning to materialize in state coffers following road funding legislation passed during former Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration.

Rep. Gary Howell

Rep. Gary Howell

“I frankly wouldn’t do anything for the next year or two. People are going to see a lot of orange and white construction barrels over the next two years,” said Howell. “I think we ought to take a step back, calm down and work to think outside the box in finding alternative ways other than a gas tax to pay for roads,” who cautioned with the auto industry going strong toward electric (battery powered) vehicles in time less and less vehicles will use gasoline engines and the revenue stream will dry up.

“We need another means beyond the gas tax,” said Howell.

In a statement submitted to The County Press (see page 3C), Howell stated Whitmer’s proposed 45-cent gas tax increase would be punitive for residents of rural counties like Lapeer. “We drive further distances to work and school. We drive bigger vehicles that use more fuel, particularly while working on our farms and running small businesses.”

Sen. Kevin Daley

Sen. Kevin Daley

During his drive home to Lapeer County from Lansing on Thursday, Howell told The County Press “one of my objections to the governor’s proposal is that she wants to send more money to urban counties. There’s politics involved. That’s where she got more of her votes.”

His statement continued, “As the former Chairman of the Lapeer County Road Commission, I cannot agree to this discrimination against our residents … That is why I am unalterably opposed to the governor’s 45-cent per gallon gas tax increase.”

Sen. Kevin Daley, R-Arcadia Township agrees with his legislative colleague from Lapeer County. “We’ve got to take it a little slower. You can’t fix the road mess that’s taken 12 years to create overnight,” said Daley. “I don’t want to be the guy who stands up and just says “No,” because clearly the roads need a lot of attention — but I don’t think this (45- cent gas tax increase) is the way to do it.”

Daley also issued a statement following Whitmer’s budget announcement last week. “I was happy to see her discuss investing in our schools and infrastructure. These are things we can all get behind, but fixing our roads and bridges needs to be done the right way.

“We can all agree that our roads need improvement. That’s why the Legislature voted in 2015 to increase road funding over a period of years. These efforts are slated to continue to increase funding over the next few years. Before we put this proposed tax burden on our families and businesses, we need to let the previous road funding take full effect.”

Whitmer’s gas tax increase proposal faces an uphill battle to get any traction in the state Republicancontrolled House and Senate, whose leadership last week didn’t give the plan as currently proposed strong odds to obtain much support in either chamber.

House Speaker Lee Chatfield on Thursday called Whitmer’s 45-cent gas tax increase plan a “nonstarter” that has left constituents “furious.” He told reporters he won’t entertain ideas of a “massive” tax increase at the pump without also ensuring that all taxes currently paid at the pump go to the roads.

Chatfield’s opposition follows pushback from Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey who argued that working state residents cannot absorb a 45-cent tax increase in the gas tax. It means the governor’s gas tax proposal is likely dead with the GOP-controlled Legislature

Shirkey on Wednesday agreed that Michigan needs to spend an additional $2.5 billion on road and bridge repairs to get the state’s infrastructure back into good condition. But he later clarified he thinks a 2015 road funding law, which will provide $925 million in dedicated money this year, should count toward that total.

Chatfield has argued that the 6 percent sales tax paid on gas, which currently goes toward state school aid and revenue sharing with local units of government, should instead be preserved for roads so all revenue generated at the pump pay for infrastructure repairs.

Last week’s budget proposal by Whitmer was a starting point to fix the darn roads, but there’s a lot of work ahead between the governor’s office, the minority Democrats and Republican leadership if a compromise is to be found.

“I look forward to working with my colleagues and the governor to make sure we continue to have a balanced, responsible, and commonsense budget that puts Michigan families first,” said Daley.

Howell and the Legislature will work through the state budget process where eventually both the House and Senate will introduce their own budget spending proposals, but he remains firm that any additional tax increases should only be enacted with voter approval.