Letter To The Editor: Gas tax hike further burdens state's families

The Nebraska Legislature is on the brink of raising the gas tax and Nebraska families will pick up the tab for the poor management of our tax dollars across the state. Nearly $240 million in new taxes would be generated by the end of the decade from the tax increase. That is on top of what Nebraskans already pay in gas taxes, vehicle registration fees, wheel tax and other taxes.

The projected state biennial budget is more than $8.6 billion. With this tax hike state senators are implying they can’t find 2.8 percent of that huge budget to fund infrastructure projects. Furthermore, over the past 20 years the state budget has consistently grown faster than the population or personal incomes. Rough translation: government grows while citizens stagnate.

Nebraskans have to make tough budget decisions every day in our personal lives, but we don’t put our hands out for more. The state doesn’t need more revenue, it needs to budget better. This gas tax hike is a hard-hitting tax increase on Nebraska families that would take their savings from recent low gas prices, and put it into the state coffers.

Don’t let the tax hikers fool you, everyone cares about good infrastructure. This is about managing a budget. Surely with all the state and local taxes being collected we can properly fund state infrastructure without having to dig into our wallets again.

Matt Litt

State Director

Americans for Prosperity – Nebraska