By State Senator Rex Wilson (R-Ancho)
Every week I hear from families in Lincoln, Otero, and Chaves counties who are doing the math at the pump before they do it anywhere else. Gas is how our kids get to school, how ranchers get feed to livestock, how folks in rural New Mexico get to work and to the doctor. So when I hear lawmakers from the other side of the aisle in Santa Fe discussing a bill to raise our state gas tax, my first thought isn’t about revenue projections. It’s about the family in Capitan deciding whether they can afford the drive to Ruidoso for work, recreation, or services.
Here is what I want every New Mexican to know: we do not have to do this.
State economists recently told the Legislature that New Mexico is on track to bring in roughly $924 million in unexpected “new money” this coming year, driven largely by high oil prices. That is a staggering number. It also presents, I’d argue, a moment of real responsibility. That money didn’t come from working families tightening their belts, it came from inflated global oil markets. And it should go back to the people of this state who are stretched thin by the cost of everything else, not toward a new tax at the pump.
I understand the argument for the increase. Our roads need investment, and I don’t dismiss that. But raising the gas tax while sitting on nearly a billion dollars in surprise revenue isn’t fiscal responsibility. It’s asking working New Mexicans to pay twice, once through higher prices already, and again through a tax hike we just simply don’t need to impose.
My position is simple: instead of raising the gas tax, we should be talking about eliminating it. New Mexico has the room to do it this year, using a real, one-time windfall to give families lasting relief rather than growing government’s take permanently. Additionally, I don’t think we should stop there. I want to see the Legislature take a hard look at what other taxes and fees are quietly squeezing New Mexico families, whether it’s gross receipts taxes, endless vehicle fees, or other line items that add up every month, and ask honestly whether this is the year we can finally take real strides towards making life more affordable for hard-working New Mexican families.
This isn’t about scoring political points. It’s about recognizing that when the state has more than it expected, the first question should be “how do we ease the burden on the people who sent us here,” not “how do we grow what government collects.” This is not a handout; this is providing a little room to breathe when we have the capability to do so.
These unexpected revenues have given us an opportunity. Let’s use it for the people, not against them.
