Some members of the tea party are unhappy with a new transportation funding plan unveiled by Georgia House leaders this week.

The measure would shift from a gas tax to a straight excise tax of 29.2 cents per gallon.  Sales tax would no longer be collected by the state or local governments on the purchase of fuel. Any special purchase local option sales taxes (SPLOST) would be allowed to expire.

House Speaker David Ralston says it will raise the $1 billion dollars in additional money needed to fund transportation without a tax increase on Georgians.

But Debbie Dooley, state coordinator of the Georgia Tea Party Patriots, believes otherwise.

“It is essentially a tax increase,” she says.  “You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.”

Dooley says Georgians would actually pay 7.7 cents more per gallon at the pump under the plan.  She also says local governments and school boards would be forced to raise property taxes to make up the difference in the sales tax revenue they would be losing.

“You’re looking at a roughly $700 million shortfall that the local school boards and local governments are going to have; do you think they’re just going to absorb that loss?” she asks.

Rep. Jay Roberts, who chairs the House Transportation Committee, says local governments can impose a 3 cent excise tax to help make up the difference but that money could only be used for transportation.  An additional 3 cents could also be levied locally through a referendum.

Dooley wants lawmakers to look at other options including “mini TSPLOSTs” where counties could partner with each other on a sales tax increase to fund transportation projects.  She also suggests doing away with the myriad of tax credits offered by state, adding more toll roads, and using the fourth penny of the state sales tax which currently goes into the state’s general fund.

Ralston says lawmakers will be open to any constructive advice as the bill moves through the legislative process.