Mark Buesgens: Let's be wary of raising taxes during a period of high emotion

A special session would most surely raise the gas tax -- but that solution is not as simple as it appears.

By Mark Buesgens

Last update: August 9, 2007 - 8:06 PM

The astonishment that a bridge on a major interstate highway could simply collapse, coupled with the horror of the unfolding scene, has created a memory that will be burned into our psyches for a long, long time.

As we've come to expect in this age, it didn't take long for many politicians to spring to the microphones and spew all sorts of rhetoric about caring, compassion and the need to "do something." We are now hearing a growing chorus of political voices exhorting the governor to call an emergency special session to deal with this crisis (read: raise taxes). I believe that such a move is ill-advised and that Minnesotans would be better served if our governor were to reject such a knee-jerk reaction.

A special session would not be a magic wand that would suddenly cure all the woes of our neglected infrastructure. Raising the gas tax in September would not bring in huge amounts of revenue before the Legislature is set to reconvene in February. Of course, immediate cash is necessary, and the governor has emergency powers to allocate the necessary revenue from any of the numerous reserve funds that the state has socked away for just such incidents.

The main impediment that has blocked a gas-tax increase for almost two decades remains unresolved. Currently, the vast majority of the revenue is raised in the highly populated metro area. However, by our state's dispensation formula, a majority of that revenue must be spent on infrastructure outstate. To realize the amount of revenue that some folks are saying is necessary for the metro area, the gas tax would need to be increased dramatically. Given the current economics of gas prices, this is simply unacceptable. The issue of how the money is dispersed must be resolved prior to any serious discussion of raising the gas tax.

Raising taxes on our workers and families should never be done in a climate of high emotion, when thoughtful and rational debate is rarely possible. Decisionmaking in such an environment rarely stands the test of time and often creates more and larger problems over time than are solved in the near term. Calling a special session now virtually ensures a gas-tax increase. All other options, even reasonable options such as re-prioritizing government spending habits, trading off one tax for another or looking for other means of raising money without increasing the tax burden, would be labeled as obstruction and quickly shot down. This would be an injustice to what should be a deliberative and somber process.

Today, Minnesota needs a true statesman at its highest level, not a knee-jerk politician. We need leaders who will act decisively, not rashly. Our state would be best-served if our governor were to:

• Immediately release the funding necessary to deal with this tragedy.

• Contract with private firms to conduct a thorough evaluation of our past bridge inspections, revisit any questionable inspections and begin repairing serious problems.

• Demand that transportation leaders in the House and the Senate work with the administrative branch and the public to bring forward thoughtful legislation in February.

Calling a special session to simply raise the gas tax without exploring all other options would be a grave disservice to the people of a great state.

Mark Buesgens, a Republican, represents District 35B in the Minnesota House.

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