NATSO Board of Directors Adopts Infrastructure Funding Principles

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Board of Directors of NATSO, the national association representing America’s truckstops and travel plazas, unanimously adopted a set of high-level principles to guide the association’s assessment of infrastructure funding proposals at its recent Board of Directors meeting in Nashville, Tenn.

“It is always our first priority to push for a long-term, sustainable solution to funding the nation’s infrastructure because our industry depends on the efficient movement of motorists and goods along the Interstate Highway System,” said Don Quinn, NATSO Chairman of the Board. “I applaud the NATSO Board of Directors for endorsing a set of principles that will help us to evaluate and ultimately support those sound infrastructure funding proposals put forth for consideration as Congress begins to write infrastructure legislation in the coming months.”

NATSO’s Board of Directors determined that infrastructure funding should be: user-based; simple, efficient and inexpensive to collect; difficult for taxpayers to evade; energy-source neutral; transparent; and dedicated to surface transportation for the benefit of the payer. NATSO’s Board of Directors also deemed that revenue generated by any funding solution should contain automatic adjustments to mitigate trends that decrease the revenue it generates.

With the Trump Administration calling on Congress to produce a bipartisan $1.5 trillion bill for new infrastructure investment, a number of business groups have introduced plans for making the Highway Trust Fund solvent, including the American Trucking Associations’ Building America Fund, which is consistent with most of NATSO’s newly adopted funding principles. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also has proposed a 25-cent per gallon increase in the gasoline tax.

NATSO has long supported an increase in the motor fuels taxes as the most efficient and cost-effective method for generating long-term, sustainable revenues for infrastructure.

NATSO is the trade association of America’s travel plaza and truckstop industry. Founded in 1960, NATSO represents the industry on legislative and regulatory matters; serves as the official source of information on the diverse travel plaza and truckstop industry; provides education to its members; conducts an annual convention and trade show; and supports efforts to generally improve the business climate in which its members operate.