House Candidates Back Shifting Tax To Roads

ROGERS -- Three of four Republican state House candidates supported earmarking some state sales tax growth to highways and the fourth would consider it, they said at a forum hosted by the Roger-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce.

Dick Trammel, state Highway Commission member, brought up the issue. He attended Friday's lunchtime forum for candidates from the District 95 and 96 state House races. He asked if the candidates would support earmarking growth in sales tax collections for transportation-related items, such as car parts and accessories, to highways.

"I agree," said Rep. Sue Scott, R-Rogers, the District 95 incumbent. Her primary opponent, Dane Zimmerman of Bella Vista and District 96 candidate Damon Wallace also said they would support such a transition. District 96 candidate Grant Hodges said he would be "supportive" of the idea but would not unconditionally commit to it.

The winner of the Scott-Zimmerman race faces no major-party opposition in the fall. The winner of the Hodges-Wallace race will face Democrat Tom McClure.

Shifting state general tax revenue to highways has been a contentious issue in the Legislature and elsewhere. Gov. Mike Beebe, who is not running for re-election, opposes the idea. The Highway Commission has a dedicated source of taxpayer money, a per-gallon fuel tax, but revenue from the tax has stagnated.

Trammel acknowledged at the forum he and other supporters were "beat up" in their attempts to get such a sales tax measure passed in the last regular session of the Legislature. Trammel's question at the forum was immediately followed up by comment and request for support for higher education from Jim Hall, director of government relations for NorthWest Arkansas Community College. State institutions of higher education and their supporters were major opponents of diverting sales tax money to highways.

NWACC receives 51.2 percent of the amount of money per student as some other two-year colleges in the state, Scott said, and Pulaski Tech in North Little Rock receives less than that. Zimmerman, her opponent, said he had not heard those figures before. "I can't believe that's the way it is," he said, though making it clear he wasn't questioning Scott's figures, just expressing his surprise inequities were that bad.

On other issues, Scott said she had no regrets for voting to pass the "private option" plan to offer subsidized health insurance plans, with about 150,000 seeking the insurance so far. Those insured now have a co-pay and are paying into the health care system now, she said. Zimmerman and Hodges oppose the program. Wallace said the state should give the program a chance to work and make an assessment based on the results and a careful review of detailed data.

NW News on 04/19/2014

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