No one likes the idea of raising taxes in a grim economy, but a proposal to raise the diesel tax from 15 to 19 cents per gallon is a worthy exception.

The bill's sponsor, state Sen. Jud Gilbert, R-Algonac, estimates the higher tax would raise nearly $40 million a year. Under his proposal, the money would be dedicated to bridge repairs.

Gilbert is chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, which approved the legislation last month. The bill's fate probably rests with Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, who thus far has resisted pressure to balance Michigan's out-of-whack budget with higher taxes.

While we applaud Bishop's hard-line stance and his courage in hewing to it, the diesel tax is different in one important way: Fairness.