Anti Question 1: Eliminating Gas Tax Indexing will Stall Road Projects

Wendy Northcross

Wendy Northcross

Wendy Northcross, CEO of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, explains why the board of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce came out against Question 1, to repeal gas tax indexing.

This proposed law would eliminate the requirement that the state’s gasoline tax, which was 24 cents per gallon as of September 2013, (1) be adjusted every year by the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index over the preceding year, but (2) not be adjusted below 21.5 cents per gallon.

A YES VOTE would eliminate the requirement that the state’s gas tax be adjusted annually based on the Consumer Price Index.

A NO VOTE would make no change in the laws regarding the gas tax.

The board of directors of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce submitted the following rationale for their decision to oppose this ballot question.

Cape Cod has pressing transportation infrastructure needs including expanded hours of the CCRTA transit bus service, improved and expanded rail service, road maintenance and new solutions for vehicle crossings over the Cape Cod Canal.  We are concerned about an adequate revenue source available for our economic success.  Along with the Chamber opinion on the gas tax index, comes the requirement for this organization to advocate for regional equity in the distribution of transportation funding.  Therefore, the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce executive committee and the board of directors adopted the following statement:

The Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce opposes the ballot question calling for a repeal of the gas tax index to the Consumer Price Index, inasmuch as the Cape has pressing transportation construction and transit expansion needs required for our economic success.



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