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State Representative Geoff Diehl speaking in support of the effort to repeal the law that indexes the state gas tax to the rate of inflation.

(Garrett Quinn, MassLive)

BOSTON — Activists working to repeal recent changes to state's gas tax law said at an event on Thursday outside the Statehouse that they had collected enough signatures to put the question on the ballot.

The group behind the effort, Tank The Gas Tax, said that they have collected 26,000 raw signatures to complete the second round of petitioning as required by state law, well ahead of the minimum 11,400.

"The Secretary of State has told us we have 19,500 certified right now, there's probably more to be certified but 19,500, well over the 11,400 we needed to qualify for the ballot in November," said state Rep. Geoff Diehl.

The ballot question, if passed, would repeal a 2013 state law that ties any future increases to the state gas tax to the rate of inflation as tracked by the Consumer Price Index. Opponents of the law contend that it is undemocratic because any increase in the gas tax would happen without a vote in the state Legislature.

Diehl said no increase in the gas tax is needed because the state already has the revenue it needs to fund transportation projects.

"The increase happened when they were looking for $500 million, we finished the last two years with well over $600 million in new revenues so we didn't need to pass it," said Diehl.

If the question makes the ballot it will likely be question two on the ballot.

The new law raised the gas tax in July to 3 cents to 24 cents per gallon before tying all future increases to the rate of inflation. It was the first increase in the state gas tax since 1991.

Supporters of tying future increases in the gas tax to the rate of inflation say that it is needed to fund a backlog of infrastructure projects. Others have argued that the state needs to raise the gas tax because residents are driving less as well as consuming less fuel because they operate more efficient vehicles.