Sebelius: No higher gas tax for new road plan

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is ruling out increasing gasoline and diesel fuel taxes to help finance a new transportation program.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius says she will not raise gas taxes to finance highway improvements.

Currently, the state is in the last year of a 10-year transportation program, and legislators are likely to start discussing a new one next year.

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The state enacted big transportation programs in 1989 and 1999.

The gas tax is 24 cents a gallon. The diesel tax is 26 cents.

Each time a transportation program is enacted, the state raised gas taxes to help raise the funds.

Sebelius said it wouldn't be reasonable to raise the tax when gas prices are so high.

"Anything that's based on an increase in gas tax when people are already paying the highest prices they have ever paid and trying to figure out how they're going to continue that, I just don't think is very reasonable," she said.

Currently in Topeka, KS

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