5/10/2008

The Gas Tax is NOT a Tax.

The Gas Tax is NOT a Tax...say's Texas Monthly's Senior Executive Editor, Paul Burka.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Points out correctly that the "gas tax" is the most efficient user fee.

If efficient transportation is the objective, then tolls have limited, if any viability at all.

Sal Costello said...

Absolutely.

But it's a tax. A very fair tax at that.

Index the gas tax, like everything other tax we pay, and we don't need tolls.

On November 28th the interim Study Commission on Transportation Financing met and a report from the Governor's Business Council (GBC) was presented to the committee.

Ellis told the committee, one option is not to raise the gasoline tax at all. Instead, index it and put the incremental revenue in the mobility fund, where it can be used to pay off bonds. And here's the bombshell: "Under this scenario," Ellis said, " it wouldn't be necessary to toll as a means of financing"

SEE THE VIDEO:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_rLljO2p_k