Count State Rep. Tommy Hanes (R-Bryant) as a “no” on the gas tax.
Although many Republicans are in favor of a gas tax, Hanes is solidly against the effort and cites the wishes of his constituents as the reason.
The Jackson County Republican, who represents the northeastern-most corner of the state, explained his position in an appearance on Huntsville’s WVNN on Friday.
“I consider myself as a servant of the people – you know, the people that elect me to office,” Hanes said. “And I stay in close contact with the senior citizens and working-class men and women in my area, and they’re an adamant no. They’re telling me no. The better part of my constituents are telling me no, and that’s the people I serve. And I’m going to be a no.”
Hanes insisted there were other options and noted the inflationary pressures a gas tax hike would have on the state’s economy.
“I don’t know how you look at it, or a lot of people look at it, but until we hold government’s feet to the fire, and get them to look at every option that they have, they’re never going to take a different road as far as taking care of the problem because it is so much easier to ask for more than it is to manage what you have. I am not for the gas tax for other reasons like, you know, as little as people think about it, when you go to the pump, you pay the tax.”
“When you fill your car up to go to work on Monday morning, you pay the tax,” he continued. “Then you go home, you decide you need to go somewhere – go to the store or whatever, you’re going to pay the tax as a consumer because the industry that trucked the goods to the store aren’t going to take that hit. They’re going to pass it on to the consumer. That’s causing the cost of living to rise. That’s not doing anything to stop inflation. And then thirdly, that’s twice now you’re going to pay the tax. But as little as you think about it, the money that you bring home on your paycheck, before you get it – it’s taxes. I mean, people are just tired of being taxed. I implore government to look at every option they have.”
An alternative Hanes previously proposed was to turn over gas tax authority to the voters of each county.
“I had a bill – Arnold Mooney and I, Rep. Mooney from Shelby County, just basically flipped a coin and decided who would sponsor the bill, and Arnold won, and I co-sponsored the bill to let all 67 counties vote for a gas tax, that every penny would stay locally. In the bill, they couldn’t hire personnel. They couldn’t give raises. They could only purchase material and put it on the road. We couldn’t even get it in committee. It wouldn’t even go through committee. I’m all for that. I’m all for letting the people vote.”
Hanes said if that had been the circumstance, he believed the people in Jackson County would have supported it.
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University, the editor of Breitbart TV and host of “The Jeff Poor Show” from 2-5 p.m. on WVNN in Huntsville.
