Good or bad? One way or another they want our money. Road cost do have to be paid for. Frozen Gas Tax Leads to Toll Roads
Maybe both the gas tax could be lowered and no tolls imposed if congress was not wasting so much money on other things. I find it interesting that maybe the drive to implement tolls may be due to the fact people stopped driving in the summer and there was a dip in gas tax revenue. Is the toll idea because the gas tax is not enough and may be seen as not raising gas taxes or is it another way of getting more of our money?
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Frozen Gas Tax Leads to Toll Roads
Sunday, May 20, 2007
By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer
A cash crunch is fast approaching for the government trust fund that pays to build and repair highways and bridges.
The federal tax on a gallon of gas has not risen in 14 years and Congress is reluctant to increase it. People are demanding more fuel-efficient vehicles _ less gasoline used, fewer dollars for the fund.
States already are looking for other places for road-building money _ toll road and consumption-based sales taxes, for example. They worry that the fund’s looming shortage could hurt their efforts to address traffic congestion as well as environmental and safety problems caused by inadequate roads.
The situation can only get worse in 2009, when revenues for the Federal Highway Trust Fund begin falling short of planned federal spending.
The fund provides the overwhelming bulk of federal dollars spent on highways. It gets its money mainly from the 18.4 cents-a-gallon excise tax that drivers pay at the pump.
Self-service regular now tops $3 a gallon. There is concern the price will reach a price at which people will get serious about cutting back on driving _ sending less money into the fund. Fuel tax receipts did dip last summer when there was a spike in pump prices.
I had to add a comment to this apparently worthless article. Thought control congress people might see an issue of a different way of making us pay taxes. Guess things that are taxed on travel tickets don’t count either.
Retail price +$3/gallon tax will do the trick.
How many states are selling their lottery to private investors? How many cops have been hired in US cities since 2004 on average? Are teachers still buying school supplies with their own money?
If Republicans weren’t so eager to get elected on being anti-tax, then simply decide not to govern, states wouldn’t be so desperate for cash that they have to put up new tolls.
Guaranteed that in the states with new tolls, on the radio there’s a right-wing talker telling the hoopleheads on their way to work that state employees are making too much money, that they don’t deserve pensions, that unions are responsible for the new tolls…
Lesson being…any half-retarded guy that doesn’t look bad in a suit, can run as a Republican and talk about cutting taxes, and win in many places for that and that only.
People don’t understand the concept of “police, firehouses, roads, schools, plows…COST MONEY”…
Now crime is going up and Republicans in cities like Milwaukee are scrambling to find a handful of rappers they can blame rather than this:
COPS Program
I don’t think the tax cuts are the issue. Tax revenue was greater after the tax cuts. The real problem is the government wasting money on pork projects.
I do believe people understand those things cost money.
We had a toll road to pay for one road and were told they would stop charging after the road was paid for. Did they stop charging afterwards – no. Did they try to use the money for something else – yes.
The neocons are hell bent on privatizing everything including our ports, highways, and pipelines. And this would have to include large multinational corporations with no loyalty to the United states, as well as tolls (and toll plazas) which of course will slow down domestic commerce, make some fat cats rich and usher in a CORPORATE POLICE STATE!! (cameras, microchips, you name it) And Americans will ultimately pay a heavy price for this GARBAGE IDEA!!!
I actually like seeing more private business and smaller government, unless when the government is transfering to a company that will be allowed to legally gouge the public. Seems like to me when something like this happens, it not for the better of the people.
Yes, we are moving towards a Police State. Don’t forget that new cars are going to record how fast you are driving for the insurance company.
On a personal note, hi NSA.
preussow
Don’t you think that basic infrastructure should be owned more or less by the government?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commerce_clause
Bill, one of the things that the US governmnet is suppose to to is take care of basic infrastructure.
I know about the devices that insurance comanies want.
That to me is an invasion of privacy to drive up cost.