Innovative options for funding Wisconsin infrastructure Report: How to future-proof Wisconsin’s highway funding August 23, 2022 By Robert W. Poole Jr. and Benita Cotton-Orr As a way for funding an important public good — highways — Wisconsin’s gas tax was pretty good: It put the cost on users in rough proportion to their use. There were legitimate doubts: Was it too high? Was money diverted? Were we getting good value? Some were so vexing that voters acted, constitutionally banning transfers out of the highway fund to general government spending, for example. But the big problem is that the gas tax was good. Every credible projection shows it fading as a revenue source as federal mandates and consumer tastes prompt a shift toward electric vehicles and, among remaining gas-powered ones, much more efficiency. More and more vehicles won’t be paying for their share of pavement. Wisconsin needs a replacement for the gas tax. Here, legendary transportation scholar Robert W. Poole Jr. of the Reason Foundation and Badger Institute Visiting Scholar Benita Cotton-Orr explore how we can restore highway funding to a user-pays principle. They propose a mileage-based user fee — one that can phase in as a replacement for, not an addition to, the gas tax. As we do so, we can fix problems that made Wisconsinites dissatisfied with the gas tax. Their options take advantage of advances in technology, such as the systems that already provide truckers a rebate of taxes on the fuel they burn driving tolled roads in New York and Massachusetts, for example. These can make a phase-in seamless for drivers while providing confidence that a revenue shift is not a revenue grab, that it’s an “instead,” not an “and,” even as it provides the resources for highways that give us the freedom to safely travel where and when we need. Read the Full Report Share This Email Share This Email Share This Email Invest in the Badger Institute For 35 years, the Badger Institute, formerly known as the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute (WPRI), has been at the forefront of the fight for school choice, right to work, welfare reform, tax restructuring, limited government, civil society and so much more. If you appreciate the Institute’s legacy and want to support free markets, opportunity and prosperity, please consider donating $35, $350 or $3,500 today. Your support will help the Institute continue to advocate for conservative principles for the next 35 years – and beyond! The Institute never has, and never will, accept government funding. We gratefully welcome your online donation or email Angela Smith, Vice President of Development. The Badger Institute is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization. Support Freedom Let the experts at the Badger Institute bring a policy talk on topics such as student loan forgiveness, unemployment compensation, school choice and more to your local group or meeting. If you’re interested in a presentation or a speaker, contact Michael Jahr, Vice President of Communications, at [email protected]. Request a Speaker   Badger Institute | 700 W Virginia St, Suite 301, Milwaukee, WI 53204 www.badgerinstitute.org Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] in collaboration with Try email marketing for free today!