Moving Beyond the Gas Tax

With gas prices plummeting to less than $2 a gallon, some politicians think this is the ideal time to increase state and federal gas taxes.

The theory is when gasoline is expensive, voters vehemently oppose higher gas taxes; but when the price drops, motorists don’t pay as much attention.

They just fill up and drive off, thankful for the savings.

The flaw in that theory is that gas prices will inevitably climb again. But a larger concern is that the debate over fuel taxes distracts us from the real question: what is the best way to pay for road projects and bridge maintenance and reduce highwa...