OOIDA says Congress must change way tax dollars are spent

OOIDA says it appreciates the emphasis on reform.

The Trucker News Services

1/18/2008

GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. — The executive vice president of Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) Thursday said the organization appreciated the strong emphasis on reform in the recommendations of Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Todd Spencer made the comment in the wake of Thursday’s report to Congress by the committee.

 “We appreciate the Commission’s strong emphasis on reform,” Spencer said. “But, we adamantly believe that Congress must make fundamental changes in how highway tax dollars are currently being spent before they consider increasing fuel taxes or other highway user fees.”

The association admits that runaway earmarks are part of the nation’s problem, but reform efforts should also focus on where other highway tax dollars are spent. For example, many federal agencies and programs are funded by those tax dollars.

“Some of those agencies and programs should be streamlined or done away with, and others should be funded by other means,” Spencer said.

“Simply put, highway tax dollars should be spent on highways.”

Spencer said OOIDA also appreciated the commission’s recommendations on limiting tolling and reigning in highway privatization.

“Increased tolling and privatization will no doubt have a crippling effect on the trucking industry and on the nation’s economy,” Spencer said, noting that truckers also pay significant amounts in highway user taxes in the form of registration fees, state fuel taxes, tolls, highway usage fees, and excise taxes specific to trucking equipment.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, while commercial trucks make up just 3 percent of registered vehicles and just 7 percent of vehicle miles traveled in the United States, their operators account for nearly 40 percent of the tax dollars going into the federal Highway Trust Fund.