The White House has reiterated its opposition to raising the gas tax in a new statement issued Friday as lawmakers negotiate an infrastructure proposal.
The Biden administration indicated that it considers raising the gas tax, including indexing it to inflation, a tax on low- and middle-income Americans.
“The President has been clear throughout these negotiations: he is adamantly opposed to raising taxes on people making less than $400,000 a year. After the extraordinarily hard times that ordinary Americans endured in 2020 — job losses, shrinking incomes, squeezed budgets — he is simply not going to allow Congress to raise taxes on those who suffered the most,” said White House spokesperson Andrew Bates in a statement.
“At long last, the economy is growing at a rate not seen for almost 40 years, employment is up, and wages are up. The President is firmly against any plan to reverse these hard-won gains by taxing middle class families for simply driving to work or taking their kids to school,” he added.
A bipartisan group of 10 lawmakers in recent days has worked on an approximately $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan, as the White House continues to promote its $2.3 trillion plan.
How to pay for the proposals has been a constant question amid the debate, as the White House has backed increasing corporate tax rates, while many Republicans have endorsed a traveler fee.
The gas tax idea has received some pushback from both sides of the aisle, as Republicans argue that it could give a pass to electric vehicle drivers who still rely on infrastructure and Democrats say it will place the burden on lower income individuals.
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