Fixing Our Overcrowded Transportation System In San Diego County? Taxes or Tolling ?
September 5th, 2007 categories: Legislative, Local San Diego News You Can Use, San Diego Real Estate, San Diego Real Estate Legal, San Diego Real Estate News
Have you noticed how willing our state legislators are to spending the tax revenues? Rhetorical question of course. How could one help but notice? The better question to ask is on what? It isnt like our roads and infrastructure are forefront on their 1st page of discretionary spending.
If the funding was for maintaining streets and bridges, thats one thing but since it isnt sexy, those funds are appropriated for things in districts that hallmark the legislators image. And what would that look like you might wonder. Well we are all wondering, but we can be sure the funds are going there because they certainly are not going to streets and bridges and other aging and updated infrastructure.
If the state revenue bonds were not enough, the federal system might be considered worse. Its those little things called earmarks that seem to take from the roads named Peter and give to the bridges to nowhere name Paul.
When there are complaints that there isnt enough money being spent on roads, Congress with its infinite wisdom hopes to include another 5 cents to the gasoline tax. For Californians, dont expect much if they do this. You see California is a what is called in Congress as a donor state. That means that for every dollar, we put into the federal system, we get 90 cents back.
The state legislature puts so much emphasis on transit and environmental improvements that less than half of the 20 Billion in State Transportation Bond funds will ever end up on the roads.
It seems clear, that unless we want to tax more on gasoline both at the state and federal level, the only other choice will be to charge tolls on the new roads. There is at least one advantage in that the funds raised would have to go to local projects instead of being spent through every legislative district in the state.
Another benefit of this tolling approach is that the revenues collected goes first to a guaranteed maintenance funding. The investors that put the money up require the operators to make its 1st priority the ongoing maintenance from where the tool comes from. That’s even before applying the toll revenue to pay the debt service on the toll revenue bonds.
We need to increase pressure on the state legislature to pass the laws needed to create these new toll roads. Otherwise the overcrowding continue and a gas tax may still get imposed.
