WASHINGTON, January 6 (Sputnik) — The Obama administration will consider a proposal to raise gasoline taxes in the United States if US Congress puts the idea on the table, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said Monday.
“We will certainly consider [Congress] proposals that are put forward,” Earnest told reporters when asked if the White House is ruling out gas tax increase. However, US President Barack Obama has a better suggestion how to obtain funds to improve US infrastructure, he said.
The Obama administration has proposed instead closing the loopholes that benefit wealthy corporations and using the revenue to invest in upgrading US infrastructure. Increasing gas taxes is “not something that we have proposed,” Earnest underscored.
The gas tax in the United States has not been increased since 1993. The current US federal gasoline tax stands at 18.4 cents per gallon.
