Gas tax is a bad target

Gas tax is a bad target

Kansas City Star: Politicians love to pander to American motorists, often by promising to drive down the cost of gasoline. The latest example is John McCain’s bid to promote a gasoline tax holiday over the summer.

It’s a bad idea, one that would hinder efforts to repair America’s roads. It should be a nonstarter in Washington.

McCain has proposed suspending the 18.4-cent federal gas tax and 24.4-cent diesel tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day. He says it would put more money in consumers’ pockets.

But it might not, especially if Big Oil simply boosts the price of fuel at the pump. That’s one good reason past attempts in Congress to reduce the gasoline tax have gone nowhere.

Here’s another reason: Cutting fuel taxes would dramatically slice funding for road construction projects across the country.

Expensive fallout

States and cities would have billions less to fix decrepit roads, to expand congested ones and to rebuild bridges. That would put off essential repairs, reducing the safety of U.S. highways.

A gas tax holiday could adversely affect the U.S. economy, because construction companies would have to cut back on crews assigned to much-needed road and bridge projects as funding for them dried up.

It takes time to design the projects, to cobble together federal, state and local funds, and to finally build the needed roads.

Cuts in funding could lead to delays that would increase economic hardships on businesses hurt by substandard roads or torn-down bridges. Motorists could be imperiled the longer it takes to finish a project.

With gasoline and diesel prices above $3 a gallon, or even $4 in some places, federal fuel taxes make up a small portion of the total cost of filling up.

If McCain or other politicians are serious about reducing how much Americans pay at the pump, they should concentrate on ensuring that cars become more fuel-efficient.