Submitted by Waccamaw on February 8, 2007 - 7:07pm.
Tolls are simply another form of tax, but they are a direct form. I prefer direct taxation(like sales taxes or tolls) to general and ambiguous taxation(like State or federal taxes).
Tolls are the best way to directly tax the specific beneficiaries(including illegal aliens) of department of transportation spending for exactly what they use. Tolling should also be a great opportunity to alleviate general tax burdens on citizens who cannot benefit from that spending.
There are two problems though. Tolling is appropriate as a means to REPLACE funds appropriated to the DOT by the state legislature. It is not appropriate as a means to ADD MORE NEW MONEY to an already excessive state budget. That point regarding budgeting is absolutely critical.
A toll system worth supporting will coincide with equivalent INCOME TAX CUTS for the general public, as the new funds supplant monies from the state general fund, which were previously allocated to the DOT.
Secondly, a toll system will collect millions of dollars in cash, and wherever that kind of money exists, so is the likelihood for corruption and inappropriate behavior. Tolling systems must be regulated, audited, and well documented.
But folks who live in western NC ought not pay one dime for a highway built in the triangle, until the day they drive on it. Its really that simple.
We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children.
My opinion
Tolls are simply another form of tax, but they are a direct form. I prefer direct taxation(like sales taxes or tolls) to general and ambiguous taxation(like State or federal taxes).
Tolls are the best way to directly tax the specific beneficiaries(including illegal aliens) of department of transportation spending for exactly what they use. Tolling should also be a great opportunity to alleviate general tax burdens on citizens who cannot benefit from that spending.
There are two problems though. Tolling is appropriate as a means to REPLACE funds appropriated to the DOT by the state legislature. It is not appropriate as a means to ADD MORE NEW MONEY to an already excessive state budget. That point regarding budgeting is absolutely critical.
A toll system worth supporting will coincide with equivalent INCOME TAX CUTS for the general public, as the new funds supplant monies from the state general fund, which were previously allocated to the DOT.
Secondly, a toll system will collect millions of dollars in cash, and wherever that kind of money exists, so is the likelihood for corruption and inappropriate behavior. Tolling systems must be regulated, audited, and well documented.
But folks who live in western NC ought not pay one dime for a highway built in the triangle, until the day they drive on it. Its really that simple.
We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children.