Speaking to the South Dakota Trucking Assn. meeting over the weekend, the six candidates for governor all agreed that a 4-percent tax paid by the state’s truckers is unfair.

However, reported the Aberdeen American News, in light of a huge state budget deficit, it’s unlikely that the tax will go away.
“I want to repeal it,” said one of the three Republican candidates, Mark Barnett. “But we’ve got a $38 million shortfall, and we can’t repeal it on the back of school kids.”
Democratic candidate Ron Volesky also said the tax needs to be repealed.
Republican candidate Mike Rounds said the tax is unfair partly because commercial truckers pay it, but farmers don’t. A farmer can haul his neighbor’s products to market without paying the tax, but a commercial trucker hauling that same load must charge the farmer $4 in tax for every $100 he charges.
Democratic candidate Jim Hutmacher said the tax also pushes business out of the state. He suggested an increase in fuel taxes as a replacement.
Republican candidate Steve Kirby noted that a 100-truck fleet pays about $48,000 a year in trucking tax.