Interstate 630 in Little Rock, Ark., March 10, 2011.
Danny Johnston/AP hide caption
toggle caption Danny Johnston/APWould Americans be willing to pay a tax based on the mileage they drive with the money raised going to fix the nation's highways and bridges?
Maybe. Then again, anyone who knows how Americans feel about their cars and and how important getting out on the open road is to so many of us can be excused for having doubts.
Still, the federal gas tax isn't raising enough money. First, the 18.4 cents a gallon tax hasn't been raised since 1993. That isn't a typo.
Secondly, with ever more Americans driving more fuel efficient cars, the gas tax is just plain inadequate to the nation's infrastructure needs.
Thus someone in the Obama Administration is running up the flag pole the idea of a tax that would be based on the mileage you drive. But the administration officially wants you to know that it's just an idea, as vaporous as gas fumes. Nothing to worry about. Not yet at least.
The White House, however, said the bill is only an early draftthat was not formally circulated within the administration.
"This is not an administration proposal," White House spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said. "This is not a bill supported by the administration. This was an early working draft proposal that was never formally circulated within the administration, does not taken into account the advice of the president's senior advisers, economic team or Cabinet officials, and does not represent the views of the president."