Pump up the gas tax — now

Miami Herald: When last we suggested back in summer that raising the fuel tax was a good idea, the average national price of regular gasoline stood near $3.60 a gallon. On Tuesday, the price was $2.11, a drop of 40 percent. The price has fallen for a record 110 days consecutively.

There will never be a better time for Congress to save the Highway Trust Fund.

No one wants to spoil the party just when consumers are finally getting a break on fuel prices, but an increase need not be painful if done right and done now. Republicans and Democrats should be able to agree on this, and there is no feasible alternative for the urgent need to fix America’s crumbling infrastructure.

TAX HIKE STILL LEAVES SAVINGS

Fuel buyers have been hit hard in recent years. Price spikes have topped $5 per gallon in some states, and up to $4 in parts of Florida. That’s hard on drivers who have to count their pennies and live in places with inadequate mass transit — like South Florida.

But the drop in prices, which is expected to last for some time, means the average American household could save at least $550 on gasoline this year compared to what it spent in 2014 — when they saved a cumulative $14 billion because of falling prices in the latter half of the year. Raising the tax by 12 cents a gallon over the next two years, a level sufficient for current needs, still leaves substantial savings.