It’s been a few weeks since I last wrote to you, so I thought I’d drop you a short note to let you know a little about what I’m working on these days.
You may not be aware of this, but for every dollar you pay in gas taxes, only 93 cents comes back to Arizona. The remaining seven cents goes to other states deemed more deserving by agovernment bureaucratic formula. Some states, like Alaska, receive over four dollars for every dollar in gas taxes they send the federal government, while West Virginia receives over twice as much as they send. This simply isn’t right and that’s why I’ve been fighting this since I’ve been in Congress. It’s time Arizona, and the
other 29 donor states, receive their fair share.
Earlier this week, I co-authored a piece with Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) that ran in the Washington Times. Please click here to read the article.
You might remember that originally the gas tax was instituted to pay for the construction of the national highway system. That system has been completed for over 20 years, yet the gas tax remains and, incredibly, some even want to raise it! If the tax must remain, it should be reduced from its current rate of 18.4 cents per gallon to the amount that it would take for the necessary upkeep and repair, which is estimated to be about three cents.
What Senator Hutchison and I are proposing will not raise taxes on anyone. It simply allows Arizona to opt out of the current funding formula until we fix the current system so Arizonans can finally receive their fair share.
I realize this might not be the most compelling issue you’ll hear about today, but it certainly is an important one. I would appreciate hearing your comments on this issue, or any other issue you may have concerns about.
As always, thanks for your continued support.
Jeff Flake
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