Quote:
Originally Posted by Robbie
I just read that opinion piece link.
It just keeps talking about "advocates" and saying over and over that gas taxes don't pay for highways.
Never once says what does pay for highways.
And apparently Congress disagrees with what you guys are saying. They are saying that gas tax DOES pay for highways. And the "decades" since it was raised was 1993 by Pres. Bill Clinton.
Why does it need to be raised at all?
Because we are using less gas.
I'm not off base about this at all.
Unlike that opinion piece you guys linked to...I'm going to post a link telling you where the money does come from (gas tax):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway_Trust_Fund
In the last few years, Congess has moved a few billion over from the "General Fund" (income tax revenue) to the Highway Trust Fund to keep it "solvent" |
But the Wikipedia article you linked up does tell us where the money comes from...
During 2008 the fund required support of $8 billion from general revenue funds to cover a shortage in the fund. This shortage was due to lower gas consumption as a result of the recession and higher gas prices. Further transfers of $7 billion and $19.5 billion were made in 2009 and 2010 respectively.
I see a real crisis brewing here. Cars are becoming more and more efficient, and people are driving a lot less due to the cost of gas combined with the recession. When electric cars are much more common... There will be even less tax dollars for our freeways. Combined with our already crumbling infrastructure we are completely screwed.
At the same time.... Thanks for the new freeway you just built outside my town. My hometown here had a two lane freeway (two lanes in each direction) pour directly into Main Street, one lane in each direction, with a dozen lights... That clogged our hometown up completely during commute hours. Eventually the state, using local and federal funds, built a huge freeway bypass so that freeway now routes around the city and continues past us. I myself thought this would kill the local economy, but it seems just the opposite - all of those cars driving through were just driving through and not stopping or spending money here, but now the local population is coming out more often because it's easier to get around.