In a rally just held on the south steps of the Capitol (see photo), a mix of both urban/suburban Republicans and Democrats urged support of the current version of HB 300, the Texas Department of Transportation Sunset bill, while anti-tax activists angrily counter-rallied against it.
The point of contention was an attempt to save the local-option gas tax. Originally in the SB 855 of John Carona, R-Dallas, the measure would allow citizens of metropolitan areas to vote on whether to raise local gasoline taxes in order to fund highway projects in their area. SB 855 passed the Senate but then died in the chubbing marathon that Democrats used to kill voter ID. Carona managed to get the option added to HB 300.
The radical anti-tax crowd – including the Republican Party of Texas – apparently is so blindly opposed to taxation that it won’t even allow citizens to vote to tax themselves. In a press release sent out yesterday, the RPT misleadingly stated that “The legislature is STILL considering raising YOUR gas taxes” – which, as I just explained, they are not doing.
So, smartly, the pro-option crowd had Republicans and business leaders front and center in the rally. “Since when do conservatives not believe in the judgment of the people?” asked Rep. Vicki Truitt, R-Keller. “We’re not talking about taxing the whole state. … I come from one of the most Republican districts in the state. Would I be here if my people didn’t want it?”
This article appears in May 29 • 2009.