Admittedly, that's a tough sell when record-high gasoline prices are a recent and painful memory. But remember, too, that when adjusted for inflation, $3 gasoline isn't as outrageous as it seems, either.
Utah's legislators have been talking about the need for new highways and new revenues to build them for some time, but they have been unwilling to pull the trigger on a fuels-tax hike. Besides the general distaste for tax increases, the $1.7 billion state revenue surplus in the last state budget cycle also made it tough to sell a tax hike.
But even after carving out $510 million of the surplus as a down payment toward meeting the state's highway needs, lawmakers still face a highway building shortfall of billions of dollars.
All of which explains why Rep. Wayne Harper, R-West Jordan, was talking about options for increasing the fuels tax at a meeting of the Legislature's Transportation Interim Committee the other day.
Harper pointed out that Utahns are driving about three times as many miles as they did in 1976, and the population has doubled in that time. But, because of better fuel economy, the number of fuel gallons sold has only gone up 64 percent.
Our preference for a fuel tax increase remains a straight boost in the per-gallon tax rate. That would be instantly transparent to the consumer and so would encourage conservation.
A second alternative, imposing a straight sales tax of 4.75 percent on fuels purchases, in addition to the per-gallon tax, would allow revenues to rise with inflation.
Unfortunately, both of theses taxes would be regressive - they would hurt low-income people most. But we don't see an easy remedy for that.
We also like a proposal by the Utah Taxpayers Association for congestion pricing, which would charge people a fee to drive during rush hours, but less to drive at off-peak times. That would improve highway efficiency.
All of these proposals would be more equitable than placing tolls only on new projects.
Of course, none of these ideas will be popular with voters. But neither is gridlock.
