[Greyson]

The gas tax you pay at the pump are State Taxes, and Federal taxes. Mentioned by Hack, Michigan is but one of the states that send more money to Washington D.C. via the gas tax and gets less returned to the State for transportation related infrastructure projects. California, where the most vehicles are registered in the entire nation, does not get back what our gas tax puts into the Federal pot.

At the state level, through various executive mandates the transportation funds get moved into other funding pots that have nothing to do with transportation related projects.

Finally, transportation is not restricted to automobiles and the movement of people. There is also goods (freight)movement, bicycles, pedestrians, rail, maritime.

The development of land, Land Use decisions made by local governments, Planning Commissions, City Councils impact tremendously the patterns of movement and traffic. Next time one of your local elected officials votes to build the Walmart, or the 3000 single home development in what use to be agricultural land, just remember "Nothing is for free."

I to think our gas tax should be used to fund research to wean us off of oil dependency and to build various modes of transportation. The gas tax should not go into the General Fund, ecetera.