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Wagner believes gas tax might increase but not by 19 cents

Date: 2/24/2009

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor



CHICOPEE -- The Legislature "doesn't have the appetite" to raise the state's gas tax by 19 cents, according to State Rep. Joseph Wagner, the House Chair of Joint Committee on Transportation, but Massachusetts residents should expect some sort of increase.

Wagner told Reminder Publications that he was meeting with House and Senate leadership on Monday to discuss Gov. Deval Patrick's proposal to increase the tax. Wagner predicted the issue should be resolved within 60 days.

Wagner said the state has not increased the gas tax since 1991 and that due to inflation that amount has about half of the buying power it once did.

"We have not developed revenue schemes to keep pace [with the repair needs of the state's transportation infrastructure]," he said.

Speaking while on the turnpike, Wagner said the western half is "literally falling apart."

He said that Patrick's view on transportation from his campaign to today has been "pretty straight forward" and commended him for emphasizing the point that someone has to pay for the upkeep of roads and bridges.

He added that Patrick has backed away from an earlier position of eliminating all tolls on the western half of the turnpike as that would have eliminated $110 million in revenues that would have had to be made up through other means.

Wagner emphasized that any action from the Legislature on the raising the gas tax would include "serious reform measures" concerning the Turnpike Authority and the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority.