Angry drivers rail against the gasoline tax increase
Q Can we have a ballot proposition to repeal this 12-cents-a-gallon gas tax increase? There was no public input. ... Please explain why some gas tax bills make the ballot, while others, like this one, don’t? ... This all happened so fast. Jack Avery, Jeff Wagner and
many, many more A Fast? Not really. Senate Bill 1, sponsored by Sen. Jim Beall, D-San Jose, and Assemblyman Jim Frazier, D-Oakley, has been in the works for more than two years. Until the Democrats won supermajorities in the Senate and Assembly, allowing the Legislature to approve the $52 billion transportation plan with a two-thirds vote, the only recourse would have been to go to voters.
While the public seems more than willing to approve sales taxes for traffic upgrades — often with approval by 70 percent of voters — polls show they don’t like gas tax measures.
This is the largest transportation investment in state history and will generate $365 million a year in the nine Bay Area counties. Santa Clara County will get $60 million a year, Alameda $48 million, Contra Costa $36 million and San Mateo $25 million.
Q What assurance do we have that these taxes will go only for transportation needs? Jose Ramirez Redwood City A proposed state constitutional amendment would go before voters in 2018 to guarantee this.
Q Has the Legislature continued the theft of taking the sales tax charge on gas purchases away from roads and shifting that money to other uses? David Heindel, Dennis O’Connell and others A This very unpopular practice ended.
Q Call me a pessimist, but how long has the South Bay been waiting for BART and how many times have we been asked to fork over more in taxes to get it?
Ian Clements A Several decades. Santa Clara County voters have approved three sales-tax hikes since 2000 for BART. Trains could be cruising to Berryessa in North San Jose around Christmas this year.
Q I would be OK with the increased taxes if someone could show me where the current money goes.
Jason Chambers A Most of the money from the various gas taxes goes to transportation. But the state has been diverting $100 million of the $5 billion raised annually to the general fund, along with $1 billion in annual truck weight fees to pay debt on general obligation bonds. Those diversions will end when Gov. Brown signs the bill.
About 85 percent of the federal gas tax of 18.4 cents a gallon goes to highways, and the remaining 15 percent goes for transit.
On the state side, about 57 percent goes to highways, 36 percent to cities and counties for various needs, mostly streets, and 7 percent for transit.
That’s a 90/10 split between roads and streets versus transit.
Q Here’s how the new gas tax could help: It will make your wallet lighter, so you will get better mileage. Fred A The looming gas tax hike has devoured Roadshow, so on Monday the debate continues.