Business Leaders Come Up With Cool New Acronym To Support Fuel Tax Increase
That headline is a bit on the flippant side. Okay, it's all the way on the flippant side. Many business leaders and organizations are coming out publicly in favor of a higher tax on gasoline. Of course, the best way to bring attention to something is to give it a catchy name so signs, buttons, and t-shirts can be made.
BUILD IT is the rallying cry these businesses and civic leaders have adopted as their slogan. BUILD IT is an acronym for Businesses United for Improving Louisiana’s Development by Investing in Transportation. I wonder how much tax money was used to come up with that? Actually, I don't think any tax money was used. I am just cynical.
If we're going to be really clear I think those 20 plus business groups and business leaders are in favor of a higher tax on gasoline if the state legislature will actually allow the money generated to be used to repair our deplorable road conditions.
I like the idea of business leaders getting behind an idea that will actually make Louisiana better. Our roads rank in the bottom five of just about every bad category of road appraisal. We have major bridges that have been deemed not so good. Yet many of those bridges still have a lot of traffic on them every day.
If I might remove my tongue from cheek for a second, I never like paying more in taxes. However, I think the increase in fuel tax could be a very good thing for our state. My only caveat is that the money will be spent on exactly what it's supposed to be spent on namely roads, bridges, and other transportation infrastructure.
So let's BUILD IT but let's be careful about who will be controlling the purse strings once we start pumping that money from our fuel tanks into the state coffers in Baton Rouge.