Tennessee Unlikely to Raise Gas Tax This Year

While political leaders in Tennessee agree on the growing need to bolster funding for road building and maintenance, there is little consensus about how go about doing it.

 

Tennessee's 21.4-cents-per-gallon gas tax hasn't been raised in 25 years, and a recent study by the state comptroller found the state's fuel taxes are insufficient to maintain existing infrastructure and meet long-term transportation needs.

 

And while Republican Gov. Bill Haslam recently acknowledged that "we need to do something on the gas tax," he has indicated he won't introduce any legislation on the subject this year.

 

"We're not there yet in terms of being able to make that case in terms of something that's more than a Band-Aid on the funding side," Haslam said recently.

 

The governor said he instead wants to spend a year developing a comprehensive plan that would lay out "specifically what would happen over the next 10 years that wouldn't happen without it."