Once heavy lifting of the fiscal 2016 budget was behind it, the General Assembly faced some important end-of-session work.
Unfortunately, one proposal that stood out for action – but was denied – is what Gov. Gina M. Raimondo has named RhodeWorks. Its core is a toll on large trucks to help fund an extra $1 billion in construction to bring the most deficient of the state's bridges up to par. This is an issue that will not go away.
The trucking industry cried foul for being singled out to pay for the needed construction program. Yes, big trucks cause the most damage on our highways. But they aren't the only ones on the roads. And so, they shouldn't be required to shoulder it alone, lest some of them make good on threats to move operations out of state.
Still, it is not unreasonable for big vehicles to shoulder a major part of the burden for the repairs. The governor's office points out that nearly all states in the Interstate 95 corridor charge extra fees for large trucks.
Some have suggested hiking the gasoline tax to help pay for infrastructure work, and that should be considered as part of the solution. But with vehicles getting more fuel efficient by the day and public transportation gaining ridership, that is a diminishing source of revenue relative to the need.
What the legislature should do is study the issue to find the best mix of revenue, with the understanding that the report will be done by Oct. 1 and a special session will act on a proposal this fall.
There is no time to waste on this problem, but it's important that the solution be the right one, not necessarily the first one. •
The best way to raise tax revenue is to tax a very large group a small amount of money. There are about a million registered vehicles (cars, trucks, motorcycles, RV’s etc.) in Rhode Island. In addition, the United States Congress will soon pass legislation to provide matching federal funds to repair local bridges. A 15 dollar surcharge on each vehicle liability insurance policy sold in Rhode Island would raise 15 million dollars each year and, with federal matching funds, would provide 150 million dollars each year to repair Rhode Island’s local bridges. Because no bonding fees or interest fees would be needed. Rhode Island would save 16 million dollars each year for 30 years. These savings would allow Rhode Island to lower its fuel tax by 5 cents per gallon. In addition, Rhode Island should allow two truck stops to be built on each side of I-295 at the present rests areas in Lincoln. More gallons of fuel would be sold each day in Rhode Island and yearly fuel tax revenue would increase. The number of trucks using I-95 in downtown Providence would be reduced which would extend the life of the bridge infrastructure in downtown Providence.