When campaigning for his first term in Congress, U.S. Representative John Rose (R-TN-06) publicly supported former Governor Bill Haslam’s Improving Manufacturing, Public Roads, and Opportunities for a Vibrant Economy Act (IMPROVE) of 2017, which saw Tennessee gas taxes increase six cents over three years.
Rose stated his public position on the gas tax hike during a Smith County event in August 2017, when he told Haslam, “I just want to say I applaud you for making this proposal. I fully support it.”
Over a three-year period, the IMPROVE Act raised the gasoline tax by six cents, the diesel tax to 10 cents, and raised additional taxes and fees on liquefied natural gas, vehicle registration, with a special fee for electric vehicles. The hikes were offset by smaller reductions to Tennessee’s sales tax on groceries, the eventual repeal of the Hall income tax, and changes to how manufacturers calculated franchise and excise taxes.
It additionally authorized local governments to raise their sales tax in order to pay for transportation projects, which courts have determined includes the Choose How You Move bus transportation plan championed by Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell in 2024.
The tax increases were proposed in order to pay for a total of 962 road and bridge projects across Tennessee. According to the latest report showing the status of these projects, released in 2025, about 43 percent were complete, while 22 percent had yet to be started.
While the hikes to the gas and diesel tax brought in enough tax dollars to cover the $11 billion originally anticipated, The Sycamore Institute reported as early as 2021 that the figure no longer accounted for inflation, and that a total of $16 billion would be required to complete the projects described in 2017. The institute noted this could have taken Tennessee over 50 years to raise.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) appeared to acknowledge this reality in the 10-year plan it released in 2023, when it said the projects valued at $11 billion in 2017 had risen to $18 billion by 2023, and the Tennessee General Assembly allocated $5.8 billion to accelerate IMPROVE Act projects.
The consequences of inflation have continued to require action in the intervening years. According to the Sycamore Institute, the Tennessee General Assembly transferred an additional $3.3 billion from its General Fund to transportation in 2024, plus $1 billion in 2026, and the Fiscal Year 2027 budget proposes an additional $425 million.
Americans for Prosperity-Tennessee later attacked Rose for his comments in a political advertisement released in June 2018, when polling released by The Tennessee Star found 51.3 percent of Republican primary voters were opposed to the tax increases.
The Star contacted Rose on Friday to ask whether he continues to support the IMPROVE Act and whether Tennesseans should expect him to support similar tax hikes if elected governor this year, but did not receive a response before press time.
– – –
Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
So does this mean that if Mr. Rose is elected governor, he will roll back this disgusting tax? I would love to hear that promise