Nelson Cole responds to letter about tax statements

Nelson Cole responds to letter about tax statements

Recently, a letter to the editor appeared in the Eden Daily News and the Reidsville Review regarding remarks that I supposedly made at an October meeting of the Rockingham County Partnership for Economic Development and Tourism. The information that has since circulated with respect to this meeting is simply incorrect. In this letter, it is my intention to correct the confusion created by an uninformed interpretation of the Vehicle Miles Travel tax (VMT), and of statements I made pertaining to it.
At the conclusion of the 2007 Session of the General Assembly, Gov. Mike Easley appointed a 21st Century Transportation Committee to study North Carolina’s failing transportation system. This committee consists of elected officials, industry professionals and members of the public from across North Carolina. I was appointed to serve in this capacity because I have been the Chairman of the House Transportation Appropriations Committee for the past eight years, and I have extensive knowledge and experience to contribute to this committee. Since the committee’s inception, we have examined many alternatives to improve transportation infrastructure in our state, and the VMT is but one of these alternatives.
At the October meeting referred to in the article, I mentioned the VMT as an example of possible solutions we were exploring to aid in funding transportation projects across North Carolina. I continued to explain how this option would work if the measure were chosen by the committee and supported by the General Assembly and the governor. The example I used was a half-cent tax, which would equate to $60 annually for a vehicle driven 12,000 miles per year. At no point did I say this measure would become law, I simply used it as an example. I am only one member of this committee, and I am only one member of the General Assembly. That said, I do not have the ability to make this a law, and I do not have any intention of doing so.
You may question why it is necessary to explore additional transportation funding, and I want you to be aware of the current transportation funding shortfall, and the reasons why it surfaced:
North Carolina has almost 80,000 miles of road, which makes us the second largest transportation system in the nation. (Texas has about 500 more miles than North Carolina.)
—In comparison, Virginia has only 57,500 miles, South Carolina only 41,430, and Georgia only 17,910.
—North Carolina ranks 48 out of 50 states in transportation expenditures per mile for maintenance and construction.
—Construction costs have increased 94 percent since 2001
—No county taxes contribute to road construction or maintenance, unlike most states.
Due to the reasons listed above, and many others, North Carolina is currently facing a predicted $65 billion transportation funding shortfall when we are expected to be the seventh largest state in the nation. As the chairman of the House Transportation Appropriations Committee, and a member of the aforementioned 21st Century Transportation Committee, I find this figure extremely alarming, as should you. It is never my intention to increase the financial burden on those who are already struggling economically, but I remain dedicated to finding a source of funding to continue supporting transportation in our state. I remind you that North Carolina was once called “the good roads state,” and this is a title I want to achieve again. I welcome any and all suggestions that can help us find a solution to this $2 billion annual funding shortfall.
N.C. Rep. Nelson Cole
65th House District Representative