Talk about pandering to one's audience and special interests.
Somewhat buried in a story about state highway planning and spending is a political bombshell - - Republican Scott Walker told the road-builders he supports express lane tolls on new major highway projects.
What's next for Walker? Appearing in a Chicago Bears sweatshirt?
We'll see if that counts, politically, as backing a "tax' that should get conservatives boiling.
Let the parsing begin...
I can guarantee you that if Tom Barrett had supported toll roads, Republicans would be all over it.
Walker also wants to double the price tag of a new lane in both directions from the Illinois state line to Madison (I-39/90) by pushing them all the way to the Dells, and to somewhere near $1.5 billion..
And proposes shifting some sales tax revenue to the highway fund - - blowing another hole in the deficit-ridden state budget.
And this guy calls himself a fiscal conservative?
The problem is that an associative utilization tax needs to be developed for road use. My preference would be to asses a tax according to miles driven and factored for the per tire weight of the vehicle. This would most closely distribute the cost of wear a tear on roads to those doing the wearing and tearing. Gas taxes are unfair when the mix includes alternatives like electricity. Heavy vehicles do the most damage and don't currently pay their fair share.
ReplyDeleteWe need tolls. It is time. Roads are too costly.
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