Gas Tax Proposal Is a Nonstarter

Re “Plan to Lower Gas Tax Floated,” April 6: I’m disheartened that the Democrats are proposing to increase the regressive sales tax and make lives harder for the working poor.

The working class tends to drive less and use public transit more, and pays a higher percentage of its income in sales tax than the more affluent. The proposal to lower the gas tax but raise the sales tax would tend to encourage people to continue buying large sport utility vehicles and trucks.

The long-term solution to fixing transportation problems is to ensure that Proposition 42 is continued, not by playing shell games with the state’s voters.

Hank Fung

Pomona

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Every time I drive under one of the ancient overpasses on Interstate 5 with a date such as 1947 cast into the concrete, I wonder how a state with so many people and so much money could have such a lousy road system. Instead of the silly gasoline tax shuffle proposed by the Democrats in Sacramento, we need to double gas and diesel taxes.

I drive far more than most people -- 31,000 business miles last year -- and would happily pay twice the $730 I paid in gasoline taxes to have good roads and highways. The higher fuel taxes would be partly or completely offset by savings in travel time, vehicle maintenance and fuel usage.

Better roads also would reduce the mental and physical wear and tear associated with driving in California. Of course, we need to demand that all of the fuel taxes go to roads.

F. Stephen Masek

Mission Viejo