Gas tax barely better than toll hikes, say angry drivers

LYNN – Anthony Brown’s ready to give state officials an earful about raising tunnel tolls and he’s not much happier about the idea of boosting the gas tax.The Lynn driver said both options under review by state officials hit taxpayers hard in the wallet and pocketbook at a time when they are counting every dollar and cent and struggling to hold onto jobs.”Things are just too hard,” he said Thursday.The Turnpike Authority board of directors voted Nov. 14 to raise tolls sometime in February or March from $3.50 to $7 for the Sumner and Williams tunnels. Tobin Bridge tolls remain untouched so far at $3.Four public hearings on the increases are scheduled with one in Lynn City Hall on Monday, Dec. 15 at 6:30 p.m.Brown plans to attend and hopes to hear Turnpike officials explain why they need to double North Shore tolls to pay off the agency’s debts.Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi Wednesday said a bump up in the gasoline tax is the fairer way to share our costs compared to toll hikes.The current gas tax of 23.5 cents a gallon has not changed since 1991. The national average is 30 cents, and a neighboring state like New York has a tax of 42.5 cents.Gov. Deval Patrick was reported as saying Wednesday that any gas tax hike discussion will not come in time to prevent toll increases.Dinitta Cook thinks both ideas stink.”What about when gas prices go up? We should stop giving government raises,” she said.Debra Gorey is dead set against a toll hike, calling it an unfair burden on North Shore commuters. A gas tax “is better – but just a little bit better.”DiMasi’s colleagues, including state Rep. Steven Walsh, proposed a freeze this week on toll hikes through Dec. 31, 2009. Walsh said the freeze gives the Legislature time to review Patrick’s comprehensive state transportation reorganization plan and find fairer ways than tolls to reduce transportation project debt.