Who really pays for road repairs?

To the editor:

According to the Iowa Farm Sales Tax guide, farmers can file a fuel tax credit for any fuel used in agricultural production and purchase red dye diesel tax exempt. Construction companies receive similar exemptions. The value of the above fuel tax exemptions and credits amounts to $40 million annually.

The Farm Bureau Spokesman paper of March 4 stated $72 million of this $215 million additional tax will go to secondary and farm to market roads and bridges. This is 33 percent of the additional funding generated from this new tax.

Farming and construction place a harsher load on secondary roads than the average taxpayer and their usage is increasing. As farms and equipment get larger, the distance traveled on these secondary roads increases. The fuel used by farmers to move livestock or grains to market is not taxed.

Who does that leave to pay for the road repairs? It is non-residents and those of us who receive a basic paycheck. For all the benefit the farming and construction industries received from this new tax, one could argue they have a responsibility to participate in the cost of maintaining these secondary roads and bridges. Even if it was a mere 5 cents per gallon vs. the 50 cents per gallon the average Iowan pays. As average taxpayers, we should be infuriated. We are not here to pay the total bill and then be told how fair the process was.

Terry LeDoux

Tipton