Stephens Media article this morning indicates the panel studying new money for highway construction may be leaning toward a temporary half-cent sales tax increase to pay for a bond issue. This would require a vote. It would be a departure to put a road building tariff on utility bills, clothing, vehicle sales and all the other elements of commerce to which the general sales tax is applied.

Here’s my marker: NO tax increases until we have a severance tax sufficient to pay for the damage gas drillers are doing to state roads. To date, it’s tens of millions short.

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