Tolls

RGar974417 wrote:

bigred1cav wrote:
Where may I find verification of your assertions the current administration made this decision? Wouldn't it take a change in law, by the Congress to change how states are compensated for repairs and upkeep of Interstates?

How would highways be maintained without taxes? Hasn't the USA suffered enough tax cuts and sending costs back to state and local tax payers? Doesn't a National Road System equitably require National Financing?

Aside from the questions this is the fact: The Obama administration on Tuesday submitted to Congress a $302 billion, four-year surface transportation bill meant to avert a possible summer shutdown of federally funded projects.

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx says inaction on what the administration calls the GROW AMERICA Act could have wide-ranging impact.

"As soon as August, the Highway Trust Fund could run dry," Foxx wrote Tuesday on the Department of Transportation's blog. "States are already canceling or delaying projects. That means crucial road improvements won't get done. It means transportation construction companies won't get contracts. And it means workers won't have job sites." http://www.cbsnews.com/news/are-more-toll-roads-in-americas-future/

Fox News spins it to be our presidents fault, it isn't it is the tax cutting Congress giving to the rich and taking from all else.

RGar974417 wrote:
A few weeks back,I posted about the current administration allowing states to toll interstates.Many on here said oh yeah,I'd be in favor of this if it made our roads better.Well,since then,we went to Missouri.From Lebanon,Pa to New Stanton,Pa, a distance of 201 miles,we paid over $30.00 in tolls on the Pa Turnpike.Some sections were very good,other sections were terrible.We continued on I 70.Most of it was very good,in fact better than the much of tolled Pa turnpike. The big exception was eastern Indiana which was terrible.On the way back we took I 64 to I 71 to I70 to avoid eastern Indiana.If we had paid tolls for the whole trip,based on what the tolls are on the Pa turnpike,it would have cost us $240 just in tolls.Still think it's a good idea?

I knew it wouldn't be long until someone mentions Fox News and blames the republicans!

Where were republicans mentioned?

NJRVer,

Sounds like you have an intense desire to make the case for Amazon NOT to have built a "huge distribution center" in New Jersey. Perhaps they shouldn't have since there's ZERO unemployment in New Jersey anyway RIGHT? Your thinking is just what helps cause the decisions for businesses to build offshore or south of the border where they are VERY welcome, given real meaningful incentives, and don't have to deal with people with your mindset.

HEY! Maybe your employer will be the next to go and I'm sure that will make you so happy and the others who lose their jobs also. Then there will be ZERO taxes collected because no ones working to pay them or support the school system or police and fire departments or anything! Who needs a paycheck anyway??? DUH!!!! Maybe better for you beat the rush and leave town and the state now and get ahead of the rush and the traffic jam in the future!

Of course, NJRVer would never lower himself to negotiate for the best deal on a home or car or RV before buying or ever except any gratuities or freebies added or rebates offered as an incentive, would he? DUH!

Where do/did some of these people get their crazy looney ideas anyway! Naaa, don't entice more business and employment/jobs because they just can't wait to come in no matter what and be taxed and regulated to death and that's just what happens. Some of you posters etc need to DO your research and finally become a little edjamakated! Some have NO idea how much companies and corporations are really taxed in the USA and and the costs of regulations and guess where that tax money comes from? You, the consumer anyway who buys the products because NO company or corporation has the so called by some "Money Tree" out back that they can simply pick off from as much as wanted or needed! ALL monies comes from SALES! All you have to do is simply pay more so the businesses can stay afloat or add locations etc. Problem solved!

As for tolls? They are a complete ripoff to replace massive funds spent for non-fuel taxed pet projects like mass transit systems and so many others that have noting to do with building or maintaining roads and bridges. Stolen money in the many billions each and every year.

Wouldn't it be a good idea to report on how and where all the tax money for transportation was spent before asking for yet more money? Does anyone know what happened to all the TARP?

fla-gypsy wrote:
There are those who feel the working population should pay more and more and more to finance every whim of government no matter how inefficient and there are those who feel like they pay plenty enough to get the job done now if it were not pilfered away by politicians buying votes with give-away programs and entitlements or outright stolen through corruption. Tolls are just one example of the stark differences in the political climate of a nation that must come to grips with it's unsustainable spending issues

Maybe if we taxed corporations and the 1% the way we used to the working population wouldn't feel that way.


Example: here in NJ Amazon just built a new huge distribution center.
The town it is in worked a sweetheart deal that exempts them from paying their fair share of property tax. Reasoning was that Amazon will hire area workers and they will make up for the tax revenue that Amazon isn't having to pay.
There you have it, the little guy carrying the weight for the wealthy.

bigred1cav wrote:
Where may I find verification of your assertions the current administration made this decision? Wouldn't it take a change in law, by the Congress to change how states are compensated for repairs and upkeep of Interstates?

How would highways be maintained without taxes? Hasn't the USA suffered enough tax cuts and sending costs back to state and local tax payers? Doesn't a National Road System equitably require National Financing?

Aside from the questions this is the fact: The Obama administration on Tuesday submitted to Congress a $302 billion, four-year surface transportation bill meant to avert a possible summer shutdown of federally funded projects.

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx says inaction on what the administration calls the GROW AMERICA Act could have wide-ranging impact.

"As soon as August, the Highway Trust Fund could run dry," Foxx wrote Tuesday on the Department of Transportation's blog. "States are already canceling or delaying projects. That means crucial road improvements won't get done. It means transportation construction companies won't get contracts. And it means workers won't have job sites." http://www.cbsnews.com/news/are-more-toll-roads-in-americas-future/

Fox News spins it to be our presidents fault, it isn't it is the tax cutting Congress giving to the rich and taking from all else.

RGar974417 wrote:
A few weeks back,I posted about the current administration allowing states to toll interstates.Many on here said oh yeah,I'd be in favor of this if it made our roads better.Well,since then,we went to Missouri.From Lebanon,Pa to New Stanton,Pa, a distance of 201 miles,we paid over $30.00 in tolls on the Pa Turnpike.Some sections were very good,other sections were terrible.We continued on I 70.Most of it was very good,in fact better than the much of tolled Pa turnpike. The big exception was eastern Indiana which was terrible.On the way back we took I 64 to I 71 to I70 to avoid eastern Indiana.If we had paid tolls for the whole trip,based on what the tolls are on the Pa turnpike,it would have cost us $240 just in tolls.Still think it's a good idea?

I knew it wouldn't be long until someone mentions Fox News and blames the republicans!

There are those who feel the working population should pay more and more and more to finance every whim of government no matter how inefficient and there are those who feel like they pay plenty enough to get the job done now if it were not pilfered away by politicians buying votes with give-away programs and entitlements or outright stolen through corruption. Tolls are just one example of the stark differences in the political climate of a nation that must come to grips with it's unsustainable spending issues

Once I started driving my MH towing boy did I get educated about tollway rip off across the US.

I ran into states that charged me per axle for MH and Toad AND on top of that charged per tire because of the dual. :S

My blood pressure would start to rise every time I saw the sign toll booth ahead!

Can I afford it yes. Will it stop me from RV'ing no.

But I HAVE seen it be an important deciding factor for people from being able to take a job when they added up the toll fees paid twice a day per year just to get to work on top of their fuel costs.

We had a standing joke that when you applied for a job in Chicago, when you negotiated your salary tolls where an included factor.!!

atreis wrote:

Dog Folks wrote:
I tend to agree. It is easier but how will electric cars pay their fair share?

We have this problem now - Natural Gas powered vehicles also don't pay gas tax. Nonetheless, it has the potential to become a much bigger issue and is actually an interesting question. Some options:

1) Stop thinking of roads as only benefiting those that use them as they're important to the general economy, emergency services, etc. and add it to the income tax. (The complaints for this option are pretty predictable.)
2) Remove the gas tax. Require people to provide their mileage driven on their tax returns and tax them accordingly. (Has issues with audits and enforcement, and solvable complications around buying and selling of cars.)
3) #2 but only for purely electric, Natural Gas, and hydrogen powered cars, and continue the gas tax for all others. (Reduces the population that has to do this, but still has issues with audits and enforcement.)
4) #3 but require technology that will track mileage driven and automatically report it, to fix the enforcement problem. (Could be done without privacy issues if the only thing reported was mileage, but most likely would end up having them because of the need to be able to audit for accuracy.)
5) Collect tolls on highways. (Only works for roads where tolls can reasonably be collected, and so users of those toll roads would end up paying for the surface streets too. Has a disproportionate negative effect on service companies and the working poor.)
6) Require toll transponders in cars and put up devices that would record people passing by various points on most roads - not just highways - without people having to slow down or otherwise change their driving patterns, and automatically charge them. (Fixes most issues with #5, but would be expensive to implement and has privacy issues as records of which cars passed which points at what time would have to be maintained for a while for auditing of accuracy.)

No doubt there are others ... Unfortunately, all have issues. The gas tax was an unusually convenient proxy for a use tax.

How about taxing tires instead of fuel? All vehicles use them and the larger vehicles would natural pay more due to using larger tires. You could even prorate based upon the remaining tread on the old tires when you replace them.

What are toll roads? We live in Michigan and we "aint" got any of them critters here and "aint" a want'n any either!

When driving in other states, we totally avoid toll roads like the plague because there's more than one way to go from point A to point B. I thought the one armed bandits were supposed to be located in Nevada but now I find they are right on the bumpy roads in many states too! Like being robbed without even as much as a kiss and it's enforced by vehicles with lighted gum balls or flashing light bars on top! Is there no justice?

What I don't like is the seemingly arbitrary toll fees.
Example:
DE rte 1. Toll for pickup $2. Toll for pickup with two axle trailer $8.

Two axles on pickup + two axles on trailer should be $4.