Gas tax weighs too heavily on drivers: Your Say

With the Highway Trust Fund running out of money, readers debate whether to increase the federal gas tax. Comments from Facebook are edited for clarity and grammar:

I already pay high enough gas taxes without subsidizing some other states, such as Virginia where gas is typically 75 cents cheaper per gallon than where I live. Get your state legislature to increase your gas taxes and keep your hands out of my pocket and off my wallet.

— Dick Wilson

An increase in the federal gas tax is long overdue. I like the idea of a gradual phase-in. It would be less of a bump.

— Steve Janeway

Wait until we all have electric cars. How will the gas tax help us raise funds then?

— John Spencer

As the owner of a gas-guzzling SUV, I already pay far more than my fair share of highway taxes through my gas purchases. I pay more than owners of those little Toyota Prius cars.

If you figure out what I pay on a highway usage basis, I pay more than what little economy cars pay, yet I derive no different benefit from these bridges and highways than they do.

If you want a fair tax, then it must be based upon usage, not gas mileage.

— Paul Hafner

Let's see, the gas tax is a consumption tax. Older cars, often driven by the poor and middle class, use more gas. So we need to raise taxes on the poor and middle class?

A better idea would be a usage tax based on miles driven. Why should someone driving more miles in a hybrid pay less taxes?

— Donald Webb