GAS TAS A MOVING TARGET

Although many of the actual details of the President's proposed budget have undergone changes in both the House and Senate, one thing's for sure it relies too heavily on tax increases instead of spending reductions.

Right now, one of the proposed changes centers around replacing the BTU energy tax; however, a specific levy on gasoline remains a moving target. Our nation's tax writers appointed to the budget reconciliation conference committee are keeping the exact amounts under wraps if it is included at all. An array of Gas Tax increase proposals from 4.3 cents to 6 cents to as high as 9 cents per gallon all have been circulated as ideas.

Keep in mind, this would be an increase on top of the 14.1 cent-a-gallon federal and 13 cent-a-gallon Missouri gasoline tax (27.1 cents combined) we already pay.

I have contended throughout this process that hiking taxes to pay for new spending schemes is completely wrong.

Furthermore, a hike in the Gas Tax would be particularly onerous to rural communities and motorists who have to drive to work, like those in Southern Missouri.

House Public Works and Transportation Chairman Norm Mineta recently commented he, too, will oppose this ludicrous idea for deficit reduction and will urge 40 of his fellow Democrats on the panel to follow suit.

"If they use gas taxes for deficit reduction, they're putting 100 percent of the deficit reduction load on the transportation section of our economy. It's no longer an excise tax it would be a sales tax,~" the Chairman stated.

Not long ago, President Clinton also went on record against the Gas Tax. On February 22, 1993, the President stated: "For years, there have been those who say we ought to reduce the deficit by raising the Gas Tax a whole lot. That's fine if you live in the city and ride mass transit to work. It's not so good if you live in the country and drive yourself to work ... So I rejected a big gas tax."

I couldn't agree more with Mr. Clinton on this statement, and I hope he holds true to this principle as the budget package moves forward.

He does hold a veto pen should the liberals in Congress push through a tax package that none of us can swallow.

In the meantime, I will continue to make my views known to my colleagues in the House: "No new taxes; cut spending first."