Chamber of Commerce Pushes Increase in Gas Tax

By JOSH MITCHELL

WSJ

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said Wednesday that it will attempt to do what a string of economists and urban planners couldn't: persuade lawmakers to raise the federal gasoline tax to pay for better roads.

The new push by the powerful business lobby, which includes a six-figure ad campaign, comes as Congress has begun debating how to pay for repairs to the nation's highways, bridges and mass-transit systems. Boosting the 18.4-cent federal tax on a gallon of gasoline by roughly 10 cents a gallon would cover the growing funding gap while creating jobs and improving mobility, Chamber officials said Wednesday.

"Just damn do it," Chamber President Thomas Donohue said Wednesday at a news briefing, at which he called on Congress not to delay action on a new highway bill as the Obama administration has proposed. Wednesday, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee backed a plan to put off debate on new highway funding for 18 months, extending current funding levels until then.

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