California adds 12 cent gas tax and 20 cent diesel tax
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Forum Discussion
Some of the money of the fuel taxes will go to actual road repair efforts...SOME.
Like all other sates, cities, counties, etc. that pass similar ordinances, the moey collected goes in many different directions.
So you have this pot of money for road projects. Now where to spend it...??
(We're going to assume for this example that all work is done by government road crews)
First you have to evaluate what roads need to be fixed, so you hire a consultant (cha-ching).
Then you have to pay the salary of those government workers who manage the consultants.
You have to pay for studies, public notices, permits, etc.
Great, now we know what road(s) we're going to work on, so dispatch the road crews.
But wait, you have to pay the salaries, benefits, and expenses of such crews.
And they can't have an old work truck, only new trucks will suffice.
New tools and logos for the trucks too.
And they have to have new equipment, with state of the art maintanance facilities.
You can't "learn" how to operate such equipment. Instead you have to be "trained" (cha-ching).
Now let's get to work. Send all 12 of the road crew guys out there to do a 6 man job.
They'll start at the shop at 8 AM, make plans, hit the road by 9. Arrive onsite around 9:30, setup some signs, make more plans, take a break for lunch, get started for the first time, then leave at 3 so they can get back to the shop by 4.
Dang, Juan broke his pinky finger. Suck it up, right? Nope, 6 weeks of PTO. (I'll break mine too)
Hold on, now there's a group of environmental protestors. Stop the show.
On and on it goes until almost none of the money goes directly to any actual road repair efforts. And of course, they're not going to fix "your" road. That road, well, it's waaaaayyyyy down the list...if we have any money left over.
Like all other sates, cities, counties, etc. that pass similar ordinances, the moey collected goes in many different directions.
So you have this pot of money for road projects. Now where to spend it...??
(We're going to assume for this example that all work is done by government road crews)
First you have to evaluate what roads need to be fixed, so you hire a consultant (cha-ching).
Then you have to pay the salary of those government workers who manage the consultants.
You have to pay for studies, public notices, permits, etc.
Great, now we know what road(s) we're going to work on, so dispatch the road crews.
But wait, you have to pay the salaries, benefits, and expenses of such crews.
And they can't have an old work truck, only new trucks will suffice.
New tools and logos for the trucks too.
And they have to have new equipment, with state of the art maintanance facilities.
You can't "learn" how to operate such equipment. Instead you have to be "trained" (cha-ching).
Now let's get to work. Send all 12 of the road crew guys out there to do a 6 man job.
They'll start at the shop at 8 AM, make plans, hit the road by 9. Arrive onsite around 9:30, setup some signs, make more plans, take a break for lunch, get started for the first time, then leave at 3 so they can get back to the shop by 4.
Dang, Juan broke his pinky finger. Suck it up, right? Nope, 6 weeks of PTO. (I'll break mine too)
Hold on, now there's a group of environmental protestors. Stop the show.
On and on it goes until almost none of the money goes directly to any actual road repair efforts. And of course, they're not going to fix "your" road. That road, well, it's waaaaayyyyy down the list...if we have any money left over.
