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The summer driving season is kicking off this weekend, so our colleagues at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) have released a pair of updated policy briefs explaining everything you need to know about the federal and state gasoline taxes that pay for our roads and transit systems.

The federal brief explains that the nation’s 18.4 cent gas tax has been stuck in neutral for over 20 years, and that construction cost inflation and fuel efficiency gains have steadily chipped away at the value of the tax.  Since 1997 (the year in which the gas tax was rededicated exclusively to transportation spending), the federal gas tax has lost 28 percent of its value as a result of these two factors.

The state brief is slightly more optimistic, noting that while most states still levy stagnant fixed-rate gas taxes similar to the federal tax, the clear trend is toward a more sustainable, variable-rate design where the tax rate can grow over time alongside inflation or gas prices.

Read the briefs

The Federal Gas Tax: Long Overdue for Reform

State Gasoline Taxes: Built to Fail, But Fixable