Those gas taxes you pay at the pump may someday be replaced with other kinds of road-building fees.
That’s because of a looming funding shortfall one transportation advocacy group says may dictate a new funding mix that moves away from reliance on the gas tax.
The report from the Transportation Development Association was released in advance of a two-day conference in Madison this week on transportation funding. The conference is Wednesday and Thursday.
The association’s report is dubbed “Our Future Rides On It.” The report says rising construction inflation, a drop in gas consumption and declining American infrastructure has caused a national decline in transportation funding. The report further warns that Wisconsin, because of its reliance on revenues from the gas tax, is particularly susceptible to a funding shortfall.
The report advocates moving to a mixture of new funding mechanisms in addition to the gas tax — possibly including tolls, per-mile vehicle fees, altered registration fees, or applying the state’s sales tax to gasoline.
National and state experts at the conference — including state transportation secretary Frank Busalacchi — will examine the options.
