Happy holidays to all Pennsylvanians. Our legislators and past Gov. Tom Corbett have given us a gift from 2013.

They passed House Bill 1060, also known as Act 89. Act 89 allows the state to raise the gasoline tax from $.57/gallon to $.61/gallon and the diesel fuel tax from $.74/gallon to $.78/gallon as of Jan. 1, 2023.

We Pennsylvanians pay the third highest fuel taxes in the nation, sitting only behind California and Illinois, respectively.

The state estimates that it will collect $4.8 billion in revenue before the tax increase this year. You may think that this is more than enough revenue to pay for road and bridge repairs.

The problem is that from the $4.8 billion only $2.7 billion is earmarked for road and bridge projects. The other $2.1 billion goes to the state police, the Turnpike and the Department of Drivers and Vehicle Services.

PennDOT estimates that they will need $8 billion to cover all road and bridge projects in 2023. You will find that the majority of the work is being done in the eastern part of the state.

We, the Pennsylvania voters, need to wake up and speak out. Voice your opinion and raise your concern! I contacted my state representative, Marci Mustello. I was informed that she and a number of House members are drafting a resolution to stop this tax increase.

We need to become more involved, more vocal in our local and state politics.

John Gibson Jr.

Butler