11-25-14 state transportation development association supports dot budget

The executive director of the Wisconsin Transportation Development  Association says he supports the state Department of Transportation’s proposed budget.  The proposal calls for new fees and tax hikes totaling $750 million to help pay for roadwork.  Transportation Development Association director Craig Thompson says it’s a  “thoughtful comprehensive proposal.”  One of the most significant changes would change the gas tax is calculated… changing the rate to 15.5 cents per gallon plus 8 percent of the average wholesale price of fuel.  It would raise the price at the pump by about five cents a gallon.  The fee on vehicle purchases would be based on a percentage of the sale price and apply to new vehicles but not used ones.  “We’ve been saying for years that both at the federal and state level we’ve been kicking the can down the road when it comes to transportation,”  Thompson told AM 1170 WFDL’s Between the Lines program.  “I would say that this budget faces up to that.”