Anti-gas tax PAC calls special session ‘governmental malpractice,’ tells legislators to ‘man up’

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Stop the Alabama Gas Tax
[Photo via: Stop the Alabama Gas Tax]

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday called state lawmakers into an immediate special session focused on her proposed gas tax increase to pay for infrastructure improvements.

On Wednesday afternoon, Stop the Alabama Gas Tax PAC said Alabamians should view the special session announcement from Ivey and the Legislature’s cooperation as, “governmental malpractice.”

“Montgomery politicians are coming for your wallet and they’re coming  fast,” said Ralph Long, Chairman of the Stop the Alabama Gas Tax PAC. “This special session, held at taxpayers’ expense, is a sly circumvention of the regular process so that Montgomery politicians can  ram the largest gas-tax increase in state history down the throats of hardworking Alabamians.”

Long is referring to the fact that in a special session, legislators need only a simple majority to pass a bill. That means, in the 105 members State House of Representatives, only 53 members need vote in support of it for it to move to the Senate.

Stop the Alabama Gas Tax spokesperson Hannah Ford says the Alabama Legislature’s “Rebuild Alabama Act” is better termed the “Re-Tax Alabama Act.”

Ford said specifics are lacking. “The primary projects mentioned in the Re-Tax Al-abama Act are port projects in Mobile and ‘electric vehicle charging infrastructure’ projects — a far cry from simple reparation of roads and bridges! Specific decisions about which additional projects to focus on will be left to a committee of bureaucrats.”

“This special session to address the Re-Tax Alabama Act is governmental malpractice and must be stopped in its tracks before politicians win and taxpayers lose,” Ford added.

Long says the Alabama Legislature has one constitutional duty: to balance the state budgets. He believes the special session side-steps that duty and puts the burden of “financial mismanagement on the backs of Alabama taxpayers.”

“Legislators need to man up. Instead of doing the hard work to balance the budgets, they are making this massive tax hike a number one priority and putting the burden of their financial mismanagement on the backs of Alabama taxpayers. It’s unreal,” Long explained.

The total cost of Ivey’s proposed gas tax is $55 a year, or $4.58 a month to the average driver, according to the Alabama Transportation Institute based on 12,000 annual miles and 22MPG.