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"Nobody likes paying for anything they are used to getting for free, and freeway tolls are no exception. But why are we willing to pay for electricity, gasoline
by suyash 10y ago
"Nobody likes paying for anything they are used to getting for free, and freeway tolls are no exception. But why are we willing to pay for electricity, gasoline or air travel, but not for roads?"
- The author has a false assumption here that roads are free, there are various forms of taxes you are paying to Gov (City, State, Fed) in forms of gasoline tax, DMV registration tax, federal income tax where your dollars are supposed to maintain and develop infrastructure. It's just that Gov is doing a horrendous job managing it. Paying in the form of tolls is a really bad idea specially stupid if you think you are not paying for using roads (freeways etc) at the moment.
- Kluny 10y agoI guess the way it is now, property taxes go into a common municipal budget and then a share gets put toward road maintenance, right? I wonder if it would work to reduce property taxes by the amount that's currently spent on roads, and replace it solely with tolls that go into a fund that is dedicated to road maintenance and nothing else. So taxes for everyone would fall by 43% or whatever it is, and only drivers would pay tolls. I suspect it wouldn't work because current property taxes are already insufficient to pay for roads. I still like the idea though.
- Neliquat 10y agoSo everyone but the wealthy (defined here as property owners in LA) still gets screwed?