Scenic City Residents React to Governor’s Gas Tax

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- You may soon be paying more at the pump.

The Tennessee House and Senate approved Governor Bill Haslam’s road funding proposal, which includes a gas tax.

The house vote was 60-to-37. The Senate was 25-to-6.

People in the Chattanooga area say while they don’t want to pay more at the pump, they see the benefits of this piece of legislation.

Some Tennessee drivers are on the road a lot.

“I work in Hixson, so it is about a 25 minute drive from St. Elmo and then just traveling all over the place, going to Knoxville. Some people I am sure travel way more than I do. For me it does seem like a lot sometimes,” Brandi Ladd said.

On Wednesday, both state house and senate members approved Governor Bill Haslam’s road funding proposal, which includes the state’s first gas tax increase since 1989.

The Governor wants to use the money for transportation funding.

The legislation would raise the gas tax by six cents for regular gasoline, and ten cents for diesel.

Initially Ladd didn’t like the idea.

“I don’t want to spend more money on gas. I drive a lot. I don’t want to see the gas prices go up,” Ladd said.

But she then saw the benefits.

“I guess I could see that in the long run then it actually could be better. Wear and tear on your car. Traveling a lot can do some damage on your car if the roads are bad. So long term thinking, it could be a good thing,” Ladd said.

The Governor’s roads package will head back to the House to resolve a difference over property tax relief for veterans.

The bill cuts the sales tax on groceries, corporate taxes on manufacturers and the tax on earnings from stocks and bonds.