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Show Picking the Chickens When Congress approved the new road program its cost was estimated at $27.6 billion and the Federal gaso-jine gaso-jine tax at that time was increased by 50 to help pay for Now, a little over two years later (and with 13 years yet to go), total estimated cost of the program has spiral-cd spiral-cd to $40 billion. Since all of it is to be paid by highwaj users, principally motorists, the Federal Government has again proposed another 50 hike in Federal taxes or gasoline from three to four and one-half cents. Yet, of the $3.6 billion highway use taxes collected In 1958 only $2.1 billion was used to foot bills of the highway high-way system. The remaining $1.5 billion has been siphoned off into the Government's general treasury for non-high-i way purposes. The matter of raising state taxes on gasoline is scheduled sched-uled to come up in 25 state legislatures meelinj in 1958. New York has already raised its gasoline tax from four to six cents beginning March 1. Is the day coming when the tax-boosters will seek more in gas taxes than the cost of the gasoline? It undoubtedly un-doubtedly will unless the car users strenuously object to their gas taxes being used on all manner of public spending spend-ing other than roads. |