Whitmer gas tax proposal expected to cost $500-$700 per year

(FOX 2) - When people hear about a .45 cent gas tax - they instantly start doing the math. Fixing our roads won't be cheap.

"I am going to stick to my guns it is uncalled for and outrageous," said Sen. Pete Lucido.

Lucido, the Republican state senator who represents Macomb County, calls Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's upcoming proposal to hike the gas tax gut wrenching.

Sticking to her campaign promise, Whitmer is hoping to fix the roads with a 45 cent gas tax that would be phased in over nine years.

"There are going to be Democrats saying no to this too, .45 cents a gallon," he said. "You have family have meager means, depending on the size of your tank, it's going to cost you $5 to $7 to $10 every fill up. I fill up two or three times a week. This is big money and this is ridiculous."

We are expected to learn more about this fuel tax increase during Whitmer's budget presentation Tuesday.

The gas tax increase is expected to cost the average family between $500-700 dollars a year ,giving the state the $ 2 billion needed to fix the "darn" roads.

But Lucido will tell you there are other ways to get the cash, for instance, keeping registration fees in the county where they are collected.

"It will be enough and here is why: if you look at what we are giving away we'll have enough in southeast Michigan to fix darn roads and make it worthwhile for all of us," Lucido said.

Because of more fuel efficient and autonomous vehicles as he proposed in the past, Lucido believes we should be using the money from the catastrophic claims fund.

"A billion with a "B" is sitting in catastrophic claims fund," Lucido said. "If we use the interest alone from those funds, we would have it. And the legislature wouldn't have to tax anyone and give it to people."

The governor's proposal will also include protections to help offset the cost to people's pocket books.

But Lucido believes between the sales, fuel, gas tax and registration fees, residents are paying enough. Not to mention all of the funds from the federal government and $300 million from the general fund that was supposed to be used to fix the roads.

"Let's be real, $5 billion put into our roads where the hell is it, somebody tell me where the money is?" he said. 

FOX 2: "Did you ask them?"

"You're darn right I did," he said. "And they give you this graph, but they don't show you the projects and what they cost. It's not on the dashboard, this is not transparent."

Democratic State Rep. Leslie Love said: "Every time you have to buy a new tire or fix a broken axle, you are paving a pothole tax for our broken roads. We need real solutions and new revenue to fix the roads so we can end the unfair pothole tax and keep more dollars in people's pocketbooks."