WASHINGTON — Just about every time you look up, the marquee at the gas station changes, reflecting a dramatic fall in the price of fuel.
The average price for a gallon of unleaded is about 50 cents cheaper than it was just one month ago. It is more than $1 less than last year at this time.
The steady drop has reignited debate about the gas tax, which has not changed since 1993.
“As much as motorists don’t like to have any of those fuel taxes raised, the fact is the federal Highway Trust Fund is broke,” says Lon Anderson, a spokesman for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “It’s in urgent need of more transportation money, and the gas tax has been that primary source of revenue for years.”
According to the car club, the national average for a gallon of unleaded is now $2.19, and the plummeting price of crude oil would suggest the price will fall further still.
“Unfortunately, many times when the subject is brought up, we’re looking at $3.50 or $4 per gallon,” Anderson says. “There’s no stomach [for that].”
The existing gas tax is 18.4 cents per gallon, a figure unchanged dating back almost as long as the Redskins last Super Bowl victory (1992).
A Washington Post editorial on Wednesday suggested now is the “perfect” time for the new Congress to raise the gas tax.
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