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I think most of the comments here are misunderstanding the article. It seems to be saying "Don't say congestion pricing is inequitable without also saying that
by tgb 8y ago
I think most of the comments here are misunderstanding the article. It seems to be saying "Don't say congestion pricing is inequitable without also saying that these are things that we already have are inequitable." It's meant as a counter-argument to people saying "but congestion pricing is regressive against poor people therefore we shouldn't have it." So if you think that gas pricing should not have to be based on one's income, you aren't refuting the article since you presumably also don't think equitability concerns apply to congestion pricing either.
- DataWorker 8y agoGas taxes and congestion prices are different. If you can’t grasp that then you probably don’t see the foolishness of the original article and probably are as confused as the articles author about what critics of congestion pricing think and why.
- graeme 8y agoWhy? In both cases the user of gas and roads is creating negative externalities for others. Taxing them compensates for the externalities. The externalities aren't dependent on income, so an income based tax doesn't seem appropriate. Externalities are: * Wear and tear on roads * Congestion * Cost of policing roads * Road deaths and accidents * urban pollution * co2 increase The latter two don't apply to electric cars, and urban pollution doesn't apply to a gas tax on rural drivers. Otherwise they both seems to be things either a gas tax or congestion charge could make up for.
- sokoloff 8y agoI drive an electric car. It is CO2 free only at the (hypothetical) tailpipe, not across the entire generation cycle. My car emits CO2 for every mile driven, just not right in the urban center.
- CydeWeys 8y agoThat CO2 emission is (or should be) taxed for its externalities at the power generation side, same as any other electricity, and doesn't need to be taxed again at the car level like petroleum-fueled vehicles must be. Plus, depending on where you're filling up, you may actually be using 100% renewable energy anyway, so you're not emitting CO2. There are states that are close to majority-renewable now, and will be in a few years.
- andrewem 8y agoI've downvoted your comment, because you claim without explanation that "gas taxes and congestion prices are different", and therefore the article is foolish. Maybe you're right in some meaningful way, but showing that will require some evidence or explanation.
- DataWorker 8y agoOne important difference is that one thing is currently free and the other is not. There are many other important differences. The original article is a lot of whataboutism and false equivalency but doesn’t grasp the fundamental problem, people being displaced.
- nawitus 8y agoThe main flaw with this article is that it's reasonable to think that since car transportation is already expensive for the poor that there shouldn't be even more costs for the poor. In "realpolitik" one can't really vote for "congestion charges but only if we remove tax A from the poor". So yes, people can acknowledge that many things about transportation are inequitable while still believing that congestion charges are inequitable.
- ep103 8y agoThe main flaw of this article is if we add congestion pricing to manhattan to help pay for upgrading the MTA, Cuomo will just take that money when he next raids the MTA funds for some new upstate pork-barrel measure.
- Ericson2314 8y agoHopefully the law would prevent such a thing :/. People in power have proposed such restrictions, but yes we'll see what we get.