Fuel tax will generate funds to repair rural roads, bridges
WEST DES MOINES, IOWA - January 4, 2012 -Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) supports the bipartisan legislative effort announced this week to fund the state's much-needed road and bridge repairs.
Iowa's largest grassroots farm organization announced support of a fuel tax back in October, when a Citizen Advisory Commission report concluded that raising fuel tax by 8 to 10 cents per gallon would be the most equitable, fairest way to fund Iowa's critical infrastructure needs.
"Senator Rielly and Representative Tjepkes both served on that task force and met with Iowans who told them that it's time to do something about Iowa's aging roads and bridges. They are working together to address the long term challenges of providing adequate funding to repair our roads and bridges," said IFBF President Craig Hill. "With rural roads making up nearly 90,000 miles of our state's 114,000-mile road system, our members know how critical those roads are for maintaining access to services across the state. We believe a sound infrastructure is crucial for our state's current and future economic prosperity," said Hill.
"The Iowa Department of Transportation says we need $215 million a year to meet the critical needs of our transportation system. Those needs will increase as our infrastructure ages and construction costs continue to climb. We haven't raised fuel taxes since 1989 and our roads have deteriorated significantly since then. An 8- to 10-cent per gallon fuel tax would generate $184 million to $230 million per year; it's the fairest way to assure all who drive on our roads help pay for the repairs," said Hill.
IFBF members have long supported a fuel tax to pay for road repairs. In 2008 IFBF delegates passed policy calling for the fuel tax increase to repair the state's roads and bridges.
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