BOSTON — Local legislators oppose raising the state's gas tax and commuter rail fares, saying there are other ways to cover the MBTA's $161 million deficit, including cracking down on fare cheaters and shifting Big Dig debt.
"At a time when gas prices have risen substantially, it would be ill-advised to raise the gas tax," said Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester. "There are plenty of other ideas to fix the deficit, and these alternatives need to be fully considered."
Rep. Denise Provost, D-Somerville, has sponsored a bill that raises the state's gas tax by 28 cents per gallon as a way to reduce the public transit system's growing deficit. If approved, the state's gas tax would be 51.5 cents.
The state's current gas tax is 23.5 cents; it has not been raised since 1991.
Gov. Deval Patrick proposed a 19-cent increase in the gas tax during his first term as governor, but the Legislature rejected it.
Like Tarr, other local legislators oppose raising the gas tax.
"It is too difficult right now, just coming out of the Great Recession," Rep. John Keenan, D-Salem, said. "The gas tax will have to be looked at in the future, but we need to look at other reforms now."
Rep. Theodore Speliotis, D-Danvers, said raising taxes is the wrong message to send during a struggling economic recovery.
"We haven't raised the gas tax since 1991 ... big deal," Speliotis said. "It's still a lot. Between federal and state taxes, we already spend a lot of money on gas tax. It's not right to force people to drive less."
To balance its books, the MBTA has proposed two plans to address its deficit by raising fares and cutting services.
Under one plan, a subway ride would go from the $1.70 Charlie Card fare to $2.40 (a 41 percent increase). A bus Charlie Card fare would increase from $1.25 to $1.75 (a 40 percent hike).
The second plan would raise fares for a subway Charlie Card from $1.70 to $2.25 (a 32 percent increase) and a bus Charlie Card from $1.25 to $1.50 (a 20 percent increase).
The MBTA plans to cut bus routes, eliminate ferries and end weekend commuter rail trains. There would be greater service cuts in the second, less painful fare plan.
Tarr said the two proposed MBTA plans are "plans for the downward spiral of the transportation system" that he said it would make public transportation out of reach by unavailability and cost, hurting people's day-to-day lives.
Tarr said there are better solutions than increasing fares or gas taxes while cutting service.
"It is widely reported that people have been able to evade fares on the T. We should look into this issue," Tarr said. "Also, the MBTA has had an L.L. Bean sponsorship in the past. I think the MBTA needs to explore further sponsorship opportunities."
He proposed a future summit between legislators, the Patrick administration and the MBTA to fully explore all alternatives.
Rep. Brad Hill, R-Ipswich, also wants a crackdown on fare cheaters before looking at fare hikes and service cuts.
"My understanding is that fare retention is an all-time low," Hill said. "They are losing millions of dollars of revenue by failing to collect fares. There are also many, many individuals who get to ride the T for free, and that is something they have to look at."
Keenan said cutting weekend service would hurt the Salem area, which depends on weekend tourists who use the MBTA.
"We're hoping they don't fully eliminate weekend service, and it won't be as significant in fares," Keenan said. "We want people to keep using transportation."
Rep. Lori Ehrlich, D-Marblehead, said the fare hikes would add up to a lot of money for any commuter in one year. Ehrlich said the MBTA's two proposals would hurt local people and businesses, and she wants more creative solutions.
"Perhaps there's a way to shift the Big Dig debt burden to other areas of the transportation system, so the burden doesn't fall on commuters," Ehrlich said. "Accessibility to public transportation makes our city great, but those (MBTA) plans would significantly hurt that access."
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