AUSTIN – Many Central Texas drivers like Jaime Fernandez are willing to pay the price avoid congestion on I-35 or other roadways during rush-hour. That's why he takes a toll road to work.
"For my job I have to drive from Pflugerville to South Austin, so it’s worth it,” Fernandez said.
He wouldn't support an increase in the gas tax to pay for more free roads: “Of course not, we already pay enough in taxes,” he said.
He and Governor Rick Perry seem to agree.
"I'm against the gas tax; let me go on the record saying that very clearly,” the governor said at a debate among Republican candidates on Friday in Dallas.
For years, many Texas leaders have taken the same stance.
Lately, Republican State Sen. John Carona, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee, has floated the idea of allowing the gas tax to go up.
At a joint hearing at the capitol, leaders of some of the biggest businesses in Texas told Senate and House committee members they're on board too.
“It’s a big deal that you’re seeing bipartisan support in this regard, what we heard today, many of us have been yelling about for a long time: there is not enough money to build anything new in Texas,” said State Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin.
Texas Department of Transportation Executive Director Amadeo Saenz also says all funding options should be on the table.
“Is increasing gas tax an option? Sure. Is increasing registration fees? Sure, those are all options that the Legislature is going to have to look at,” Saenz said.
A gas tax increase might not be the solution either: As more fuel-efficient cars get on the road in Texas, some lawmakers say an increased gas tax will be able to generate less money.
That’s why State Rep. Linda Harper Brown, R-Irving, and others remain skeptical that raising the tax on gas is a funding fix.
“Everything were seeing on the gas tax side is that it’s not reliable,” she said.
Other Republican gubernatorial candidates – Kay Bailey Hutchison and Debra Medina – believe the state should fully audit TxDOT before raising anything.
