ISELIN – State Sen. Ray Lesniak told a New Jersey Business and Industry Association forum in Iselin Tuesday that he plans to introduce a bill to raise the state’s gas tax “incrementally” to help pay for transportation projects.
The Union County lawmaker, who also supported Gov. Jon Corzine’s abandoned proposal raise money by selling or leasing New Jersey’s toll roads, said that he will not move the toll increase proposal forward until Gov.-elect Chris Christie supports it.
“At some point in time, sooner rather than later, we will have to increase the gas tax to fund our transportation needs,” Lesniak said.
Christie has indicated that he opposes raising the tax, which stands at 14.5 cents per gallon and hasn’t been raised in about 20 years.
New Jersey’s Transportation Trust Fund, which is used to fund transit projects, is expected to run out of money by 2011.
