Governor Walker: Safety, Maintenance Will Be Our Transportation Priorities

Press Release

Governor Scott Walker penned an op-ed on the state's transportation priorities, which was published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel today. The following are several excerpts:

Good roads and bridges are important to Wisconsin and our economy. Since we took office, more than $18 billion has been invested into our transportation system, and we increased the amount sent to local governments to help maintain their infrastructure in 2015.
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There has been a lot of talk recently by some who believe we should raise the gas tax so politicians in Madison can spend more of your hard-earned money. That is not leadership. During the 2014 campaign, I made it clear I would not support a gas tax increase or a vehicle registration increase without a corresponding decrease in other state taxes. I will not raise the overall tax burden on the hardworking people of Wisconsin.
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Keeping my word is incredibly important. So is keeping the state's economy headed in the right direction. At the time of this writing, the average price of unleaded gas in Wisconsin is $2.50 per gallon. Of that, 30.9 cents are state taxes. According to the American Petroleum Institute, which tracks gas taxes across the 50 states, Wisconsin is in the top 10 for the highest gas excise tax in the nation. If you include federal taxes and fees, Wisconsin drivers are paying more than 50 cents in taxes per gallon. Jacking up taxes would throw a wet blanket on our economic growth.
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From the St. Croix Bridge to the Milwaukee Zoo Interchange, more than 300 highway and bridge projects will be completed this year, and as we begin to form our next biennial budget, we will continue to do the work necessary to maintain a safe and strong transportation system here in Wisconsin.

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