Census Bureau Daily Feature for Tuesday, February 24: First State Gasoline Tax

WASHINGTON--Profile America — Tuesday, February 24th. As automobiles became more popular in the early part of the last century, the demand grew for more and better roads. Paying for these soon became a problem for governments at all levels, a problem which has become an annual budget ordeal across the nation. This week 90 years ago, Oregon became the first state to levy a gasoline tax, placing a levy of one cent a gallon and using the funds to build and maintain roads. Today, the states spend a combined $117 billion a year on highways. Taxes at the pump range from 7½ cents a gallon in Georgia to 30 cents in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at www.census.gov.

Sources:		Famous First Facts, 7655
		Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009, t. 1055, 1053
		http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2009edition.html

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look under the “Newsroom” button).