Why don't we raise the gas tax?

[Hauldren Collider]

I didn't say privatized, I said tolled. Why not tax on consumption on public resources where possible?

[MikeH]

If you are going to have tolls why not let the market decide where roads go and how much they cost?

The downside of tolls vs gas taxes is that with tolls you selectively tax drivers who use certain routes, a low mileage driver who has to use a toll road every day is disporportionately highly taxed. Also generally toll roads are the major roads where average speeds are higher and gas consumption is lower, rather than the taxing the really inefficient low mpg around town driving you really want to discourage. You know, people driving half a mile to the shop etc.

[Jon Miller]

Well, except that longer roads have more wear and tear?

The US doesn't really go in for the social engineering (which Sweden does), unfortunately. So there has to be other arguments for it.

In the past, the arguments against tolls is that they are hard to implement properly. With computers and cameras everywhere, they wouldn't be. In such a case, tolls would be fine... and would allow private operators to determine where to put new roads (or build subways or run bus lines).

While I prefer Sweden's route, capitalism hasn't been proven not to work with transportation infrastructure. The only thing that has been proven to not work well is the current US system, the corporatism system.

JM

[MikeH]

Well you've got the EZ Pass which seems like a great system.

[MikeH]

The US doesn't really go in for the social engineering (which Sweden does), unfortunately. So there has to be other arguments for it.

Not really, people just have to understand the arguments.

[PLATO]

If inflation exists, then taxes must increase over time to maintain a constant level of effectiveness.

If inflation were the only variable. However, technology has caused decreases in the price of many things and there may be economies of scale that come into play with more vehicles.

I am not saying that the tax shouldn't be increased...I am just saying that it is not a given that it should increase just based on the fact that it hasn't increased since 1993.

[MikeH]

They should regularly have the president on TV shouting "GET OFF YOUR FAT ASS AND WALK TO THE SHOPS YOU LAZY F*CK!"

[Wezil]

...roads aren't fully funded by gas taxes and that is not even considering the negative externalities of pollution and its effects.

How about mass transit. Are the riders paying the full cost of the service?

[Jon Miller]

In Sweden they decided to make Prof./staff/etc pay for parking at University buildings at the night and weekend.

This wasn't because there were lots of people trying to park there, there was very few.

It was because the University leadership decided that they didn't think that people should be working on nights/weekends and that they didn't like people driving their cars to the University (the latter is also demonstrated in their continual attempts to make parking/etc more difficult).

JM

[Jon Miller]

How about mass transit. Are the riders paying the full cost of the service?

A higher portion.

JM

[Wezil]

But not entirely?

Raise the gas taxes simultaneous to public transit fares. If we all have to pay for what we use....

[Jon Miller]

Sure.

The gas tax is way way under what it should be, though.

JM

[Wezil]

I don't pay your gas tax so I don't have a dog in the fight but the argument car drivers don't pay the total cost for the roads is a poor one.

[The Mad Monk]

They should regularly have the president on TV shouting "GET OFF YOUR FAT ASS AND WALK TO THE SHOPS YOU LAZY F*CK!"

Which might actually have an impact if they didn't regularly fly to other cities to do their shopping.

[Wezil]

True that.

Global warming activists jetting to tropical resorts to warn us all of the dangers of global warming...