A bill that would have raised the state’s gasoline tax from ¢.17 per gallon to ¢.47 per gallon was tabled in the House Appropriations and Finance Committee Monday evening with a landslide vote of 14-1 against the new tax. NMBC’s efforts along with the grassroots voice of hundreds of engaged New Mexicans helped to defeat these bills and tell our legislators NO to more regressive taxes on working families. 

Had the bill passed, New Mexicans would have gone from having one of the lowest fuel taxes in the nation to paying the fourth highest. The tax dollars received by the state would have been split in thirds to pay for : 1) Roads; 2) A new ‘Clean Infrastructure Fund’ that will soak up most of the money to cover the expansion of government to manage it; and 3) A special ‘Low Income Rebate Fund’. Low income folks, whether they buy vehicle fuel or not, will be eligible for a rebate of these taxes. That’s great for those not buying fuel, but not so great for the other low-income folks who may not get as much back, but are also subsidizing the rebates. Additionally the bill would have put unnecessary strain on businesses, such as manufacturers, transportation, etc that would have had to raise consumer prices to pay for it. This was bad policy and a bad move for a state that just hit another record revenue surplus. Read more HERE.