U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez held firm that tolling proposals should be reduced or eliminated on a planned replacement of the Interstate 5 Bridge at a Wednesday roundtable .

“The tolling proposals raise significant concerns for me,” she said. “Tolls are an inherently regressive tax. I think it’s important that we are considering how to have equity in tolling, how to reduce tolling and how to eliminate tolling.”

Perez, D-Skamania, hosted the event with U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Everett, at the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program ’s downtown Vancouver office.

The roundtable convened labor union representatives, state lawmakers and bridge users, as well as representatives from the city of Vancouver, C-Tran, the Columbia River Economic Development Council and the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association.