ITD: Increasing gas tax could create jobs

Gov. Butch Otter’s proposal for next year calls for a 5.2 percent increase in the Idaho Transportation Department’s budget.

To raise the necessary funds, lawmakers are discussing raising the gas tax.

While many people are opposed to raising the gas tax, the director of the Idaho Transportation Department believes it’s one of the best options to fix the state’s deteriorating roads and bridges.

Brian Ness, Director of the Idaho Transportation Department said there are hundreds of bridges and roads around the state in need of repair.

If the transportation department secured the $262 million every year they would reduce the number of restricted bridges in the state down to zero within ten years.

“If we were to raise (the) gas (tax) from 25 cents to 27 or 28 cents a gallon, everybody would look at that as a tax increase,” Ness said.

He said that’s not really the case because the tax hasn’t changed in 20 years

“I don’t look at this as being an increase in taxes as much as I’m looking at it as an adjustment for inflation to keep us equivalent with some of the other tax methods we use across the state,” Ness said.

While many are against raising the gas tax, it has the potential to create jobs for Idahoans.

“It would create or sustain an additional 4,700 jobs in Idaho which is equivalent to 1 percentage point in the unemployment,” Ness said.

Bridges are designed to last 40 to 60 years, but with the state’s current funding, they would have to last 120 years.

That’s almost three times their life span.

The governor’s funding task force report found that Idaho was $543 million short of adequately funding transportation in Idaho.

The Idaho Transportation Coalition reports major highway safety improvements since 2009 have resulted in a 35 percent decrease in accidents.