The Indiana General Assembly, which has a Republican supermajority, passed a law to make it easier to toll any interstate highway in the state. State lawmakers have tried to justify the legislation by claiming the state can’t afford the expense of maintaining and modernizing roads as revenues from gas taxes decline, as cited by IndyStar in their article “Indiana lawmakers clear the path for new toll roads, higher speed limits on I-465. What to know.”
However, in 2018, the Indiana General Assembly passed a law that provided for automatic increases in the state gasoline excise tax, which is now at 36 cents per gallon.
Indiana’s gasoline sales tax also costs residents more than 17 cents per gallon.
Federal gas taxes add an additional 18.4 cents per gallon at the pump.
Overall, Indiana has the fifth highest state gas tax in the nation and billions in reserves, so where is all this money going?
These highways are the lifeblood of all 92 counties in the state, so tolling them would be a terrible mistake. It would take away your right to freely travel in the state and charge you an arm and a leg for it instead.
James Quebbeman lives in Crandall.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana’s high gas tax makes tolling interstates unfair | Letters
Reporting by James Quebbeman / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
