We know New Jersey's Democrats are going to raise the gas tax, but Senator Mike Doherty called in to put the negative consequences of this money grab into perspective.

Right now the Republican legislature is trying to paint a trade off between a higher gas tax and a lower estate tax as a good thing.

“This linkage would be a disaster for the people of New Jersey," Doherty said. "And I’ll tell you why- because it’s going to allow both parties to have status quo as usual regarding the construction costs on our roads.”

According to Doherty, The Reason Foundation recently issued a report showing that NJ spends twelve times the national average on road construction, accounting to $2 million per mile.

“So instead of spending a dollar to get something done, we’re spending twelve," said Doherty. Population density has nothing to do with this, either, because if you look at similarly populated states like Massachusetts, they spend about a third of what we do.

Doherty stressed that linking the two taxes will mean we'll never have the discussion about where our money is going and why we need to shell out so much of it in the first place.

I agree with Doherty- it's time to find out how states like New York and "Taxachusetts" build the same roadways for a fraction of the price. Call your legislator today and demand transparency and an end to the gas tax.

Continue this conversation by tweeting at @nj1015 and @BillSpadea.

Bill Spadea is host of the Chasing News TV program. He periodically fills in for NJ 101.5 show hosts, and you can daily hear his opinion about all things New Jersey here, or by tweeting @BillSpadea.

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