LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) â Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has made good on his promise to veto a proposed 6-cent-per-gallon gas tax increase.
The Republican governor rejected the measure shortly after lawmakers gave it final approval Thursday. Ricketts argues in his veto message that measure contradicts the public’s desire for tax relief.
The bill would incrementally raise the tax over four years to help pay for road and bridge repairs, generating an estimated $76 million a year once fully implemented.
The bill was introduced by Sen. Jim Smith of Papillion, a conservative who normally opposes tax increases. Smith casts the measure as a “user fee” for motorists and argues that good roads promote economic growth.
Smith has said he has enough support in the Legislature to override the veto.