Scott Hennen’s interview with Mike Rud
BISMARCK, N.D. – A bill passed by the North Dakota House 46-to-40 and sent to the Senate would raise the gas tax three cents per gallon.
The bill was introduced in the House by Republican State Representative Jared Hagert of Emerado.
It’s now in the hands of the Senate Finance and Taxation Committee.
If signed into law, the bill would give two thirds of the money to non-oil-producing counties and cities to fund road infrastructure.
The other third would be given to non-oil-producing counties to be used for roads and bridges in townships.
President of the North Dakota Petroleum Marketers Mike Rud says he knows roads and bridges across the state need repairing, but funding it through raising the gas tax isn’t the way he thinks it should be done.
“We’re questioning a little bit of the timing of this bill to say the least,” Rud explained to Flag Family Media’s Scott Hennen.
“Talking about the times we’re living in and people behind on house payments, behind on car payments, credit card payments through the roof. This probably isn’t the time to be taking more money out of the consumer’s pocket,” Rud added.
Hagert says he introduced the bill because he says the legislature has been using special funds to fund road projects and it needed to have a discussion on, in his mind, the only stable, reliable funding option available to them being the fuel tax and because the tax isn’t only paid by North Dakotans.
Hagert doesn’t disagree with people’s concerns about rising prices and inflation. However, he feels the legislature has been artificially keeping the gas tax low since 2005.
North Dakota’s gas tax is at 23 cents per gallon, which is much lower than Minnesota’s at 31.8 cents per gallon and South Dakota’s at 30 cents per gallon.
