State urged to pull mileage tax study funding

Excerpt from Record Journal article:

Critics of a mileage tax urged the legislature’s Transportation Committee on Monday to block $300,000 set aside for the state’s participation in a federal study to see if such a tax is feasible in Connecticut.

Testifying on a bill to block the funding, opponents said they opposed the tax for several reasons and don’t see a need for Connecticut to participate in the study with other states.

“I think there’s enough historical data and too many unanswered questions to render this study complete — we know it doesn’t work,” said Joe Sculley, president of the Motor Transport Association of Connecticut.

The state Department of Transportation said in written testimony that the point of the study is simply to see if a mileage tax is feasible, and noted Connecticut has not implemented tolls despite similar studies.

The two Democratic co-chairmen of the Transportation Committee agreed with the DOT, saying they feel the study has a purpose despite their initial opposition to a mileage tax.

“I think all of us on this committee should listen to many of these things that are out there to find out where maybe Connecticut should be going,” said Rep. Tony Guerrera, D-Rocky Hill, adding he’s “not a fan” of the tax.

See the full Record Journal article online.