The next meltdown: Gas tax renewal

Looking beyond the horizon of the current insoluble legislative meltdown, a nervous Democrat pointed me yesterday to the next one: Most of the gas tax is set to expire on Sept. 30.

An accountant's memo lists the taxes expiring that day, including:

— All but 4.3 cents-per-gallon of the taxes on highway gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, and alternative fuels (Secs. 4041(a) and 4081(d)(1))

— Reduced rate of tax on partially exempt methanol or ethanol fuel (Sec. 4041(m))

— Tax on retail sale of heavy highway vehicles (Sec. 4051(c))

— Tax on heavy truck tires (Sec. 4071(d))

— Annual use tax on heavy highway vehicles (Sec. 4481(f))

The House, no doubt, will view renewal as utterly routine, right ...?