Proposal to double Arizona's gasoline tax stalls

PHOENIX — A proposal to double the state’s gasoline tax is in trouble.

On Thursday, several Republican lawmakers told Rep. Noel Campbell, R-Prescott, they would not support his proposal for a three-step increase in the levy that eventually would bring it to 36 cents a gallon.

Their comments came even after House Speaker Rusty Bowers, R-Mesa, urged support, telling them the state’s road construction and maintenance needs exceed the amount of money the current 18-cent-a-gallon tax raises.

Campbell likely has the support of the 29 Democrats in the 60-member chamber. That, combined with his own vote and those of Bowers and Rep. Bob Thorpe, R-Flagstaff, gets him a majority.

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But a state constitutional provision requires a two-thirds vote of both the House and Senate for any increase in taxes.

Campbell conceded he doesn’t have that now, and may not get it.

Bowers said one option would be for Campbell to scale back the proposal, perhaps with a smaller increase spread over a longer number of years.

And, if nothing else, the speaker said Campbell should at least pursue putting an automatic inflation index into the current 18-cent levy to ensure its buying power does not erode further.