Business Report Editor Stephanie Riegel revisits the failure of state Rep. Steve Carter’s proposed 17-cent gasoline tax increase last year in her latest column.
The measure would have funded badly needed mega infrastructure projects in the Capital Region, Riegel writes. And with backing from area chambers of commerce, big chemical manufacturers and a rare, united Capital Region delegation, the tax increase initially appeared to have a legitimate chance of passing.
Carter, however, couldn’t get the necessary votes in the Legislature and pulled the measure before a vote could be taken on the House floor, she says, noting that opponents of the measure were effective in sowing doubt about how the money would be spent.
The conservative-leaning Americans for Prosperity-Louisiana lead the opposition. The local chapter of the National Federation of Independent Businesses opposed the measure, saying the bothersome traffic wasn’t worth the extra 17 cents at the pump. The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry never took a side.
“It’s instructive to recall this brief bit of recent history because Carter and the industry-led CRISIS group are planning to again push a gas tax in the upcoming regular legislative session, though this time the measure would take the form of a constitutional amendment,” Riegel says. “If approved by the Legislature and, later, the voters, the amendment would allow specific parishes or regions to vote for their own gas tax increase to fund local or regional infrastructure projects.”
It’s a long-shot proposition, but this year there will be help from high-profile local businessman Jim Bernhard, who in two recent speeches announced a newfound commitment to civic activism and improving the quality of life in Baton Rouge, Riegel writes.
Bernhard has made fixing the area’s chronic gridlock his number one priority. But he’ll face a determined opponent in John Kay, executive director of the AFP-LA chapter, who tells Riegel that he intends to fight against the tax increase again this year.
“With the battle lines effectively drawn, who will the business community line up behind?” Riegel asks. “Bernhard’s speeches have been warmly received by his peers, and he says his phone has been ringing off the hook with calls and texts from local business leaders who want to join his crusade to really fix problems, not merely talk about them. But when the rubber meets the road, will those same leaders side with him and make time to lobby lawmakers?”
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