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Follow TURFWhite to let voters decide on gas tax hike, road funding
Link to article here.
Of course, Perry (and the reporter) leaves out the fact that he's purposely starved the gas tax to push toll roads (and hand Texas highways over to foreign companies who charge 75 cents a mile to drive TX roads) or that he's jettisoned Texas taxpayers into MOUNDS of debt for toll roads to be paid back with interest at a much higher rate of taxation than a gas tax increase. For just the first $6 billion of the $12 in STATE road debt, it will cost taxpayers $21 billion to pay back. That's ALL Texans, not just those who actually use the toll roads (they'll pay an extra tax on top of this one) as Perry would have you believe.
White won't rule out debt, taxes to pay for roads
By APRIL CASTRO Associated Press Writer © 2010 The Associated Press
Aug. 17, 2010, 6:35PM
AUSTIN, Texas — Democratic candidate for governor Bill White on Tuesday wouldn't rule out higher debt, tax increases or more seizures of private property to build new roads and relieve congestion on the state's aging highways.
In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, White acknowledged the need to increase capacity on the state's roads and criticized Gov. Rick Perry's policies and proposals, but he struggled to offer specifics on raising the money to address the problem.
The topic illustrates a stark difference between the two candidates, with Perry flatly refusing any tax hikes — even those approved by voters — and White leaving higher taxes up for consideration.
Perry spokesman Mark Miner said Perry "has been very clear ... raising taxes is not on the table. A better way to manage government is to cut costs and use fiscal responsibility."
White said Perry's administration had been "fiscally irresponsible" in borrowing money to pay for roads, but he said it might be OK for local governments to take on more debt if voters agreed to it.
"I believe that local voters have a lot of wisdom and the fact is that for generations, in Texas communities large and small, voters have approved and sometimes disapproved bond issues to pay for transportation infrastructure," White said.
When asked whether he would support an increase in the state's gas tax, the former Houston mayor said he would "work with the legislative leadership to address a long-run transportation plan."
But working with the Legislature on transportation funding hasn't always been easy.
The House and Senate engaged in a bitter dispute during the most recent regular legislative session over $2 billion in transportation bonds. Angry Republican senators said it was preferable to quit and let Perry call the Legislature back into a special session, which he later did.
One senator threatened a filibuster over House legislation because it didn't allow certain counties to approve increases in gas taxes and other fees to raise money for road projects he said were desperately needed.
In the subsequent special session, lawmakers approved the road bonds, but blocked Perry from continuing to make contracts for privately built toll roads. A disappointed Perry vowed that improving the state's transportation would continue to be a top priority.
White wouldn't rule out more deals with private road builders, saying he didn't "want to tie the hands of local voters on the kinds of financing they want" for transportation projects.
But as governor, White said his first order of business on transportation would be ensuring lawmakers stop diverting millions of taxpayer dollars, mostly from the state's 20-cent per gallon gas tax, which was intended to pay for new roads. In the current budget, lawmakers diverted $1.15 billion from highway funds to cover other needs in the budget.
"The citizens of this state need to see a plan for phasing out the current diversions of the motor fuel taxes," White said. "Those taxes were imposed for a particular purpose and have been diverted for other purposes."
The diversions amount to a fraction of the $315 billion experts say will be needed over the next two decades to prevent congestion from getting worse and to keep roads safe.
Asked if a higher gas tax would be an option to pay for new roads once the diversions are halted, White remained noncommittal.
"I suppose it depends on how long I'm governor and the views of the Legislature," White said. "It can't be done in a year, but it probably can be done in a period of 10 years."
White said the state should use more grants to allow local entities to implement their own transportation ideas — even if that means more voter-approved tax hikes to repay more debt — rather than the Texas Department of Transportation enforcing their own plans.
"Under Rick Perry, he's consolidated power in Austin over school districts, cities, counties and regional planning organizations," White said. "There are effective regional organizations that are in better position to assess regions' needs than having that dictated from above."
White also deferred to local authorities on toll roads.
"There will be no topdown land grab like the Trans-Texas Corridor," he said. "We will defer to local communities concerning what works best for them."
White sharply criticized Perry's failed proposal to create a massive, almost $200 billion network of toll roads and high-speed rail, saying it went too far, did not adequately compensate land owners and should not have allowed land to be taken from one private owner and turned over to a private developer. Still, he wouldn't rule out condemning more land to build more roads.
"The problem with the Trans-Texas Corridor is they seized large amounts of land, more than was needed for the actual right of way and turned it over to private businesses," White said. Government land seizure should only be used as a last resort for traditional public purposes, he said.