12/04/2005

SA Express: Gas Tax vs. Tolls

see submitted letter to editor in comments section

at 12/04/2005

3 comments:

Sal Costello said...

I submitted this letter to the editor:

Dear SA Express Editor,

Re: "Gas taxes can't fuel all road projects" (12/4/05).

Traditional toll roads are fair because they allow drivers a choice of the traditional toll road or a gas tax funded public expressway. With traditional toll road funding, toll revenues on Turnpike A are tied to the financing of Turnpike A. Viability studies are produced for investors to ensure the traditional toll roads are fiscally responsible.

Gov. Perry's freeway tolling experiment here in Texas (tolling public highways) is a first in the U.S. and it holds drivers hostage, as no other expressway is offered to go to work, school or shop. Freeway tolls are built using taxpayer dollars, and taxpayers would need to pay again to drive on them. Freeway tolls come with little or no viability studies. Tolling public highways is a masquerade to create a new inefficient tax. I call it the freeway toll tax.

The footprint of a freeway toll road is much larger and costs double or triple compared to a non-tolled road. The maintenance and service of a freeway toll costs more. The private toll industry makes a profit off the right of way, utility relocation and construction which uses taxpayer dollars. The added debt to build the more expensive freeway as a tollway is not cost efficient. The unelected toll authority setting the toll/tax rate for a public highway illustrates unaccountable double taxation. And, it is unfair for one portion of a city or region to pay a freeway toll to drive an expressway created with public funds while others drive free.

Comparing freeway tolls at 15 cents a mile with a vehicle that gets 20 mpg is the equivalent of an additional $3.00 more per gallon of gas (.15 x 30 = 3.00). Compare that to a 2 - 5 cents per gallon gas tax increase to build the same amount of road, without the bureaucracy, without the new toll tax, without the unbridled taxation.

We currently have one tax in place for our public freeways - the gas tax. That tax rate needs to be automatically adjusted to inflation, like everything else we buy. Creating a second inefficient sloppy tax (toll tax), taking our public highways to hold drivers hostage, is unethical and is far from being fiscally responsible.

Sal Costello
Founder of People for Efficient Transportation

12:17 PM, December 04, 2005
Anonymous said...

" (.15 x 30 = 3.00) "

Typographical error: Should be...

(.15 x 20 = 3.00)

2:34 PM, December 05, 2005
Sal Costello said...

Thanks

4:10 PM, December 05, 2005

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