What would you do with a half-billion dollars?

The next time you’re watching those dollars ring up at the pump, think about this: for every gallon you pump, the federal government gets 18.4 cents and the state government gets 21 cents for gasoline taxes.

Did you know you’re also taxed another 2.5 cents per gallon to reimburse costs related to underground storage tank removal? Based on the state’s own estimate, that 2.5 cents translates to about $75 million per year.  With the 2.5 cent tax in place for the last 10 years, that’s about $750 million collected.

The department of revenue claims that only about $209 million of the tax collected so far went towards clean-up.

Is the difference a blank check for the State House?

If so, Governor Patrick, where did the other half a billion dollars go?