Tolls, bike tax part of $8.2 billion transportation plan

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Oregon lawmakers rolled out a 10-year transportation package this week that would raise consumer prices at the gas pump and when buying a new car and impose highway tolls for the first time and a statewide payroll tax.

Residents would also see a 5 percent tax on new bicycles and higher registration fees for fuel-efficient cars.

Lawmakers are hoping to raise $8.2 billion over the next decade to fund a growing list of needed upgrades to roads and bridges and help ease traffic jams. The higher fees and taxes would be phased in beginning in 2018.

The plan unveiled this week is a preliminary framework, and lawmakers will use it as the basis for drafting a formal proposal in public hearings over the next several weeks.