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Tranzact, a logistics information and nesses opposed to higher taxes at the fed-
freight payment company that allows eral, state and local levels.
customers to reduce freight costs. Regan Ironically, Norquist is a former chief
also leads NASSTRAC’s advocacy panel. speech writer for the U.S. Chamber of
“The Obama administration has no Commerce, the very group he is now at “there Needs to be a
interest in raising a fuel tax,” Regan says. odds with over fuel taxes. federal plaN, with
“But if you don’t rely on gas tax, His group believes the answer to the a federal strategy.
there is no way to support a highway question of how much the government
program at levels that supported it in should be spending is categorically “less this is a federal
SAFETEA-LU,” Regan explained. “That than it currently does.” iNfrastructure
doesn’t work. We are willing to consider Norquist has been called both the that doesN’t Need
other avenues.” "dark wizard of the right's anti-tax to be brokeN up
cult" and "the single most effective
THE SpEcTEr of TollS conservative activist in the country." He amoNg the states.
The most politically expedient way is a libertarian ideologue who believes we Need a NatioNal
to generate revenue is through legislation Washington is controlling our lives traNsportatioN
that would allow tolls on existing high- through the taxes it raises to fund big
ways. Though popular with some politi- government. And he's said he wants to strategy.”
cians, tolls are actually a very inefficient shrink it to a size where it could, as he
way to raise revenue. once famously put it, “be drowned in a —steVe williams
According to Maverick’s Williams, bathtub.” ceo
the administrative overhead costs to col- Norquist’s most famous document is maVerick traNsportatioN
lect tolls is 20 percent. That compares his “Taxpayer Protection Pledge,” which
with 0.2 percent overhead for the federal asks candidates for federal and state
fuel tax and between 2-to-3 percent for office to commit themselves in writing
state fuel taxes. to oppose all tax increases. In the 112th
“Tolls are innocuous and you get Congress, 238 House members and 41
away with it,” Regan says. “But nobody Senators have taken the pledge. On the sales tax to fund state highways in
wants to stand up and say, ‘This is state level, 13 governors and 1249 state November.
crazy.’” legislators have taken the pledge. Some conservatives are advocating
Relying on an unadjusted fuel tax “Here is a major U.S. industry offer- no federal highway funding, preferring
for Highway Trust Fund revenue is flawed ing up more taxes to repair the roads and that states determine their own course.
on two fronts. First, it has not been bridges upon which our trucking compa- Trucking industry leaders say infra-
indexed for inflation and the rise in fuel nies depend,” says Lane Kidd, president of structure spending needs to be coordi-
costs. Secondly, with Corporate Average the Arkansas Trucking Association. “And nated by the federal government, not a
Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) standards steadily Congressmen, particularly those who state by state basis, or else highway plan-
rising, Americans are driving less and have signed a no tax pledge, just stare ning and maintenance will suffer.
using less fuel to go more miles. back at us saying nothing. It doesn’t fit “Desperate people will do desperate
“We are using less of a product that their political agenda.” things,” Maverick’s Williams says. “There
is the basis of funding the Highway Trust States may wind up doing what needs to be a federal plan, with a federal
Fund,” Regan says. “We need to have an Congress won’t. Many governors and leg- strategy. This is a federal infrastructure
intelligent discussion centering around islators have begun to talk about ways to that doesn’t need to be broken up among
that.” increase transportation funding at state the states. We need a national transpor-
So who is preventing Congress from capitols around the country. Maryland is tation strategy.”
raising the fuel tax? talking about as much as a 5- to 15-cent Williams is old enough to recall the
Enter Grover G. Norquist. increase in its current 25-cent-per-gallon first engineering studies for the Interstate
Except for the nine Supreme Court fuel tax to pay for road and bridge needs. highway program, which called for uni-
justices, Norquist is arguably the most Governors in Georgia and Alabama formity among the states.
powerful unelected man in Washington. also have called for plans to increase “Before that, you’d be racing down
Norquist is president of Americans for infrastructure spending. Georgia the road in one state and reach the
Tax Reform (ATR), a taxpayer advocacy Governor Nathan Deal (R) wants border and all of a sudden the roadbed
group he founded in 1985 at President improvements to the state’s transporta- would be falling apart,” he recalled.
Reagan’s request. ATR is a coalition of tion network that promote efficiency. “Who the hell thinks that’s a good idea?
taxpayer groups, individuals and busi- Arkansas will vote on a half-cent That’s why we need federal leadership.”

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