Jan and Sara took a brief hiatus from Form and Foliage in the first half of 2014 as Jan took photography classes and Sara became the website editor for the American Conifer Society. We hope to be back on a more regular schedule in the second half of the year.
In at least nine states (Ala., Ark., Colo., Fla., Mo., Okla., Texas, Utah and Wash.), operators of motor vehicles powered by certain alternative fuels are required to pay an annual flat rate fee instead of a sales or excise tax on the fuel, for example by purchasing an annual permit or decal.
The federal excise tax of 18.4 cents per gallon on gas and 24.4 cents on diesel has not been increased since 1993. That has severely shortchanged the Highway Trust Fund, which is expected to run out of money in May if Congress does not transfer more into it or raise fuel taxes. If the federal tax on gasoline had simply kept up with inflation, it would be 30 cents today.