State officials are looking for ways to bridge a gap in highway funding that is expected to reach $62.7 billion over the next 25 years.
The Arizona Capitol Times reported Tuesday that the Auditor General's Office calculated the deficit by projecting revenues in the highway user fund and the costs of road-building and maintenance projects needed to keep up with traffic volumes.
The report recommends the state form a task force to explore revenue-generating options, such as raising the state gasoline tax. The tax has been at 18 cents a gallon since 1991.
Republican Gov. Doug Ducey has said he is against higher taxes.
Sen. Bob Worsley, R-Mesa, said he wants a gasoline sales tax, which would be based on a percentage of the sale rather than a flat per-gallon rate.
Worsley, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, said it is difficult to illustrate funding needs to voters who live in Maricopa County, where freeways are generally in good condition.
Adjusting the gasoline tax in 1992 would have raised $4.3 billion by the end of 2014, the audit report said.
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