BOSTON ? Gov. Deval Patrick on Friday proposed a 19-cent increase in the state gas tax ? making it the highest in the nation ? as the best way to fund Massachusetts’ debt-ridden transportation system. He initially insinuated that a 29-cent increase per gallon might be necessary or perhaps doubling metropolitan bridge and tunnel tolls to $7.
Opposition to the governor’s latest plan was quick to surface from Marblehead resident Barbara Anderson and her advocacy group Citizens for Limited Taxation.
“Forgive us if we aren’t grateful for a 19 cents a gallon gas tax increase because it isn’t a 29 cents gas tax increase or a $7 toll hike. We hope other voters won’t fall for the ‘scary expectations’ scam,” she said in a prepared statement.
According to Andersen, the governor orchestrated the increase and timed the release of his long-awaited transportation plan to coincide with a Friday afternoon on the last day of a school vacation week, and only days before the state Turnpike Authority is set to vote on the toll hikes.
“With any con job, timing is everything,” she said. “The Turnpike Board is scheduled to vote on the giant toll increase next week. Scammed voters are told that if the gas tax passes, there will be no toll increase at all. A question remains: how dumb are we?”
Patrick’s plan to reform a transportation system that is billions of dollars in debt, due primarily to the Big Dig, avoids a proposed toll increase on the Massachusetts Turnpike that caused public outcry when it was approved in November. Patrick said the tax increase would raise almost $600 million annually, though that wouldn’t be enough to completely eliminate tolls.
“We’ve tried to strike a balance between the most immediate needs where we can put our transportation network on more secure fiscal and financial foundation without asking something unreasonable from travelers,” Patrick said. “All of it is tough and there’s nothing here that isn’t a heavy lift.”
The 19-cent increase gives the state a gas tax of 42.5 cents, which Patrick said would address $5 billion of lingering debt at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and $2.2 billion in debt at the Turnpike.
The proposed hike must be approved by the Legislature.
The governor has said earlier he would not seek a tax increase without getting legislative support for overhauling the state’s transportation bureaucracy through reforms, such as abolishing the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.”Reforms are as indispensable a part of this proposal as is the new revenue,” Patrick said. “We must have the reforms for reasons of efficiency, for cost savings, for reasons of regaining the confidence of the public and reasons of our long term strength.”Patrick’s reorganization plan would create one Executive Office of Transportation with four divisions: Highway, Rail & Transit, Aviation & Port and Registry of Motor Vehicles. It also creates an Office of Performance Management to ensure public accountability. The plan eliminates 300 positions and ends special perks in the employee pension system at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
The governor said his plan would make the transportation system more environmentally responsible through steps such as increased investment in public transportation outside Boston and adopting various standard to build and buy in environmentally friendly ways.
Anderson said the information released by the governor has been inadequate because it does not provide details on possible reforms. “For 19 cents a gallon, we would expect a whole lot of reforms ? and should demand that these be implemented before we see any possible increase at the pump,” she said, adding that the reforms should cancel the effect of the new mandated pay raises for Turnpike workers. For example, she suggested financial reforms include getting rid of toll collectors by abolishing tolls or with increased automation, through benefit cuts and, if all else fails, bankruptcy so that contrac
