Pinthouse Pizza
Redistributionist Toll Road Plan Is Bad
RECEIVED Tue., June 8, 2004
Editor,
Understanding the toll revolution requires some key facts ["Here Come the Transporters," News, June 4]. First, this a Republican plan. Republicans, locally and statewide in the lege, voted unanimously for it. Second, it is a redistributionist plan. The toll rates are not set to user costs but are increased to generate tax revenues. The tolls are also intended to be permanent and they increase every five years.
It's true that the taxes can only be used for limited purposes. They include building more roads (free or tolled), rail systems (freight or passenger), airports, and utility systems (for instance, power lines or sewage lines).
Republicans had the opportunity to vote for a Regional Transportation Authority, which can only build roads, but they chose to give us a Regional Mobility Authority, with its expanded menu of allowable projects. We know that Mike Krusee wants to use Travis County tolls to build regional rail, and it is reasonable to expect that taxes collected in Travis County will fund utilities and free roads in Williamson County.
My estimation is that the typical Travis motorist will soon be paying $1,200 per year to support bedroom communities in Williamson County. It was reported last week that just one road, U.S. 183-A, may be priced at 50 cents per mile. Driving those four tolled miles twice a day for 300 days per year will cost $1,200. We have 120 tolled miles planned and CTRMA won't reveal how many additional miles of existing roads are planned for conversion to toll.
Libertarians support user fees, either gas taxes or tolls, but we oppose redistributionist taxing schemes. I would think some progressives would oppose this Robin Hood in reverse plan, too. If not they will soon be paying for the construction of sewage pipes to dump Williamson County sewage in the Colorado in East Austin.
Understanding the toll revolution requires some key facts ["Here Come the Transporters," News, June 4]. First, this a Republican plan. Republicans, locally and statewide in the lege, voted unanimously for it. Second, it is a redistributionist plan. The toll rates are not set to user costs but are increased to generate tax revenues. The tolls are also intended to be permanent and they increase every five years.
It's true that the taxes can only be used for limited purposes. They include building more roads (free or tolled), rail systems (freight or passenger), airports, and utility systems (for instance, power lines or sewage lines).
Republicans had the opportunity to vote for a Regional Transportation Authority, which can only build roads, but they chose to give us a Regional Mobility Authority, with its expanded menu of allowable projects. We know that Mike Krusee wants to use Travis County tolls to build regional rail, and it is reasonable to expect that taxes collected in Travis County will fund utilities and free roads in Williamson County.
My estimation is that the typical Travis motorist will soon be paying $1,200 per year to support bedroom communities in Williamson County. It was reported last week that just one road, U.S. 183-A, may be priced at 50 cents per mile. Driving those four tolled miles twice a day for 300 days per year will cost $1,200. We have 120 tolled miles planned and CTRMA won't reveal how many additional miles of existing roads are planned for conversion to toll.
Libertarians support user fees, either gas taxes or tolls, but we oppose redistributionist taxing schemes. I would think some progressives would oppose this Robin Hood in reverse plan, too. If not they will soon be paying for the construction of sewage pipes to dump Williamson County sewage in the Colorado in East Austin.
Vincent J May