The Times of India published my recent article, prepared to coincide with President Obama’s visit to New Delhi on the occasion of India’s Republic Day (the anniversary of its constitution’s having taken effect in January 1950).

A similar version, including several embedded links, was published via Medium.

NPR this week ran a story about President Barack Obama’s reluctance to raise the federal gas tax, despite his call for increased transportation spending.  Earl Blumenauer, a U.S. Representative from Oregon, was quoted among the backers of a modest increase in the gas tax.  Such a measure has long been favored by mainstream economists, who recognize that the most efficient way to discourage behavior (e.g., driving of polluting vehicles) is to tax it – and redirect the revenues in more positive directions.

I recently contacted U.S. Senator Christopher Murphy of Connecticut about “the need for the U.S. to strengthen financing of its transportation needs.”  Thanking him for his bipartisan work in this area with Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, I wrote:

“Even if such efforts have so far proved politically unsuccessful, I urge you and others to continue and indeed to become much more ambitious in your pursuit of viable, long-term funding for the nation's transportation needs (and related jobs).  With gas prices relatively low at present, there is no better time to increase the federal gas tax to raise revenue, encourage efficiency, and set our country on a more promising course -- including more, better mass transit as well as better roads and bridges, not to mention the national security benefits. [Those benefits include, for example, greater independence from the whims of oil and natural gas producers – and reduced risks from the instabilities of global climate change.]

My message to Senator Murphy continued:

“Other aspects of the tax code can be made more progressive and simpler to offset the ostensibly regressive aspects of the gas tax.  For example, I would support a phase-in, over 10 years, of an increase of the tax to $1 a gallon.  Related revenues would allow substantial tax relief, as well as investments, in other areas.”

As with the construction of the interstate highway system, the federal government should lead in improving and modernizing our infrastructure now.  States including Connecticut are right also to be attending more to their roads, bridges, and rail lines – and should secure sufficient revenues for these purposes.  Still, the gasoline tax should be more a federal than a state responsibility, both because of the national/global aspects of energy/transportation policy and because state-level gas taxes can create a corrosive competition between neighboring states that may attempt to lure drivers from higher-tax states, thereby depriving them of revenue.