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Opposition to President Donald Trump’s plan for a gas tax holiday to ease cost-of-living concerns is coming not just from his political foes, but also from the Republican-leaning trucking and construction sectors.
Those industries rely heavily on the road and transportation infrastructure projects funded by the federal gas and diesel taxes.
“A gas tax holiday is a good way to blow a hole in the collection of revenue for funding highway and transit repairs, but it’s a bad way to help drivers who are affected by higher gas prices,” said Brian Turmail, national spokesman for the Associated General Contractors of America, a construction industry trade group.
Gas prices are up about 50% since the Iran war began on Feb. 28, clocking in at $4.50 a gallon on Tuesday, according to AAA. Diesel, used in trucks and construction equipment, is higher at $5.64 a gallon. Iran has largely blocked the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil
