Iowa House Transportation Committee Chair Josh Byrnes, a Republican from Osage has introduced what he calls Plan B to pump money into the state’s infrastructure. Byrnes earlier tried legislation to raise the state gas tax to fund roads and bridges and now has introduced HF 661 which would lower the gas tax and hike sales taxes on fuel wholesalers.
Byrnes says his legislation would lower the gas tax by around 20 cents and raising the wholesale tax at close to 5 percent.
He says it’s not just about funding infrastructure but it becomes economic and ag development and being able to ship Iowa’s valuable commodities to market.
Byrnes says it’s amazing to him that Brazil which has an atrocious transportation system is trying to upgrade theirs while the U.S. is letting their infrastructure crumble.
