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House of Representatives Approves Extension of Transportation Bill

September 16th, 2011
On Tuesday, September 13, 2011, the House of Representatives approved the extension of the Transportation Bill as well as continue programs for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).  With both parties focused on jobs and the economy, this bill has been viewed as a no-brainer by many.  However, it has been hard to predict what Congress will do as of late.

This legislation, H.R. 2887 was introduced to the House of Representatives by the Transportation Committee chairman, John Mica (R-FL), as well as other influential members of that sub-committee.  The response by the House was unanimous in support of the extension.

The current Transportation Bill has already been extended several times, and a new piece of legislation is needed, but this extension will help continue funding for this nations highways and keep up to a million people at work.  Rep. Mica understands this and made the following statement regarding a more permanent solution: “Unfortunately, this bill is the 22nd FAA extension and the 8th surface transportation extension. Congress has delayed passing a long-term FAA bill for over four years, and a surface transportation bill for two years. This action represents a last chance to roll up our sleeves and get transportation projects in America moving again.”

For a Senator’s perspective, when asked to comment on the decision, Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey stated: “The American people didn’t send us here to make unemployment worse and allow our roads to crumble—and that’s why we must act swiftly to extend this law,” he continued. “Instead of putting up roadblocks to this extension, I hope our colleagues will work with us to fix the economy, help Americans get back to work and keeps our country moving forward. Once we have passed this short-term fix, we need to complete work on a long-term bill that strengthens investment in our national transportation network to create jobs, maintain our roads and bridges, and invest in rail and transit to ease commutes.”

This is a positive step for the Trucking and Transportation Industry. Although it is still not possible to file Heavy Vehicle Use Taxes with Form 2290, the folks at Express Truck Tax will be available to answer any questions and help drivers file those taxes. For more information, visit the Express Truck Tax website or call our Truck Tax experts at 704-234-6005. You can also chat online, or email any questions to support@ExpressTruckTax.com.

The Transportation Bill Faces the Gridlock of Capital Hill

September 14th, 2011
while most politicians love to talk about creating jobs for the American people, there is now a real opportunity to avoid thousands, if not close to a million, of American jobs being lost. The Transportation Bill that is currently in Congress funds this nation’s infrastructure. The current bill in place has already been extended many times, and many argue that a new piece of legislation should be created instead of simply extending this old bill. However, the time to act is now, and the simplest way to continue funding this nation’s highways and transportation projects is to extend the current legislation again.

Congressman Hank Johnson represents Georgia’s 4th congressional district and had the following to say regarding the Transportation Bill:

Cutting funding for infrastructure is no way to grow our economy or create jobs.  Republicans who threaten the highway bill are way off base. Short-sighted pandering to their tea party political activists may be easy, but it is deeply irresponsible.
Instead of threatening to slash federal infrastructure spending, we should be making bold, forward-looking investments in America’s future.
President Barack Obama is right on the money when he calls upon Congress to aggressively invest in America’s infrastructure. It’s a common-sense vision backed by both business and labor because it’s the right policy at the right time.

Congressman Johnson argues that extending this bill simply makes sense, and that it is a smart investment because it is literally investing in America. The United States’ aging infrastructure has caused our overall rank to fall from 15th to 24th in the past year according to The World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report. Countries like China, India, and Brazil are making larger investments in their nation’s infrastructure, while we are busy arguing over the idea of funding it at all.  

Although there is a tendency for intense gridlock in Washington, there is still good reason to believe that this bill will be extended due to the sheer necessity. Even if this is slightly delayed, it would have a harsh impact on the highway and transit system. This party politics is becoming something of a game in Washington where both parties refuse to negotiate until it is nearly too late.  

Once this is enacted, anyone wishing to File IRS Form 2290 for Heavy Vehicle Use Taxes will be able to file during the month of November. The IRS-Authorized e-file provider, Express Truck Tax, will be able to help any Truck Driver, Trucking Company, or Service Provider get their Excise & HVUT taken care of. To e-file through ExpressTruckTax.com it only takes a few minutes and can cost as little as $9.90. If you have any questions about the process, you can call them at 704-234-6005 or send an email to support@ExpressTruckTax.com.

Obama Supports Transportation Bill to Save Jobs

September 7th, 2011
President Barack Obama has once again urged Congress once more to extend the transportation bill, following a jobs report that was not very flattering of the American economy.  This message served as a warning that letting the current transportation bill expire would be an economic disaster that could be easily avoided.

Obama focused on the amount of jobs that would be furloughed and eventually removed if a decision could not be made in Congress. “Right away, over 4,000 workers would be furloughed without pay. If it’s delayed for just 10 days, we will lose nearly $1 billion in highway funding that we can never get back. And if we wait even longer, almost 1 million workers could be in danger of losing their jobs over the next year.” These jobs are literally left in the hands of Congress.  They can choose to extend the bill, or create a more long term solution, but action needs to be made regardless.

President Obama made a speech from the White House’s Rose Garden last week, in which he was joined by Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, as well as Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, and also David Chavern, the chief operating officer of the Chamber of Commerce. He gave Congress another warning at that time also, stating that letting the transportation bill expire at the end of the month would be “not acceptable” and “inexcusable.”

In his recent address, the president reiterated that thousands of workers and their families would be hurt if infrastructure projects like highway construction, bridge repair and mass transit systems were put on hold. Obama has previously spoken about renewing the transportation bill as a “no-brainer.” It is also important to note that Congress has renewed the bill seven times in the last two years, and as badly as Americans need jobs, not renewing it this time would be a grave mistake. Nonetheless, a new and sustainable bill would be the best option.

“But thanks to political posturing in Washington, they haven’t been able to extend it this time — and the clock is running out,” he said. Virginia, Minnesota and Florida are examples of states that have thousands of jobs on the chopping block, and the President argued that the decision to let the bill expire is “completely avoidable.”

“This isn’t a Democratic or a Republican issue — it’s an American issue,” he said. The president also mentioned that a group of 128 Democratic and Republican mayors have written to Congress, urging their representatives to pass the extension.

Obama also added a statement that nicely summarizes the heart of the issue: “There’s a lot of talk in Washington these days about creating jobs. But it doesn’t help when those same folks turn around and risk losing hundreds of thousands of jobs just because of political gamesmanship. We need to pass this transportation bill and put people to work rebuilding America.”

To see a video of Obama’s address urging the passage of the bill, you can check it out here. This Information has been provided by the Truck Tax Team at www.ExpressTruckTax.com.

President Barack Obama Pushes for the Renewal of Transportation Bills

September 6th, 2011
On Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at the Rose Garden, President Barack Obama spoke about the pending Transportation Bill currently in Congress to a large gathering of highway workers. He was joined by Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, as well as Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, and also David Chavern, the chief operating officer of the Chamber of Commerce.

Among other things, the main focus of President Obama’s speech revolved around the necessity of renewing the Transportation Bill that is currently set to expire September 30. The primary arguments for extending the bill were that not extending it would cost up to a million jobs of hard working highway workers and extending the bill would also bring much needed tax revenue to fund road repairs and maintenance.

“Now is the time for Congress to extend the transportation bill, and keep our workers on the job. Now is the time to put our country before party and give certainty to the people who are trying to get by. There’s work to done. There are workers ready to do it. That’s why I expect Congress to act immediately.” said the President.

Video Link: http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/ExtensionofTr

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/assets/swf/CSPANPlayer.swf?pid=301309-1

Truck Tax Regulations for 2011 (HVUT)

August 20th, 2011
You don’t have to be a transportation expert to understand that Washington DC is known for its gridlock. The very worst of it is actually off the roads and on Capital Hill. While both parties in Congress continue to argue, there is a significant piece of legislation that has yet to be voted on. The delay of this legislation being enacted has thrown many people in the trucking & transportation industry for a loop.

The law previously referred to is a transportation law known as SAFETEA-LU – the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users – which expired in 2009, but it allowed the taxes associated with the Highway Trust Fund to be collected for an additional two years. When SAFETEA-LU became law in 2005, lawmakers added what they believed to be enough time to get the next multi-year transportation authorization bill in place.

Those two years have passed faster than expected and we are left without a new Highway Bill to replace it. The House and Senate committees are now drafting preliminary versions of the legislation and will continue to debate its details. Let’s hope that both sides come to an agreement soon to avoid massive confusion in the trucking industry. Trucking Regulations alone are complicated enough.

Under normal circumstances, tax provisions related to the Highway Trust Fund would be extended as part of the authorization. Unfortunately, no one can accurately predict what will happen in the future, especially with the extreme volatility between political parties of late. One thing that is predictable, however, is that ExpressTruckTax.com will keep updating their website and blog with the latest news affecting the Trucking Industry. Once there is more information available about the HVUT filing process, we will let you know. Express Truck Tax is the premier provider of Tax Services for the Trucking Industry; as soon as the IRS releases the new Form 2290, it will be available for EFiling at www.ExpressTruckTax.com.

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