11.29.06
Forget Toll Roads Let’s Raise The Gas Tax – It’ll Save You Money
No matter how high of a gas tax increase TxDOT predicts, when trying to scare the public into accepting toll roads, that gas tax increase is still much cheaper than toll roads. Read that again because it takes a while to sink in and it’s such a shot to the heart of the pro-toll argument that it just can’t possibly be true. The best explanation I’ve seen of this yet comes form McBlogger:
Now remember, TXDoT says to do away with tolls in Central Texas we’d have to have a gas tax of 17 cents a gallon. Assuming your car gets 20 miles a gallon and your daily commute on the tollway will be 20 miles (not, by any means inconceivable) you’d spend only an extra 17 cents per day driving to and from work. That’s the non-toll road math. So how much will it cost you with the tolls.
No one knows yet what the toll will be. 25 cents per mile? 50 cents per mile? Let’s go with 25 cents per mile… using the same assumptions as above, you’d pay $5.00 per day in tolls. Using Republican math, that’s cheaper than 17 cents, don’t you know. Yeah, I can totally see how 17 cents is more than $5.00. Is this the same kind of math Bush has been using to ‘balance’ the federal budget?
That estimate should be cut in half ($2.50) because the starting tolls, and they will go up, on the new toll roads around Austin are 12.5 cents/mile. That’s 17 cents v. $2.50 on your daily commute to pay for the new road. I bring all of this up because of this article from the SAEN today about the scare tactics TxDOT is using in San Antonio, Toll-road rejection may spark big gas-tax jump.
If the idea of paying tolls to drive on future highway lanes in San Antonio turns your stomach, perhaps you could swallow a higher gas tax instead.
How about adding 38.2 cents a gallon, or as much as $1.09, on top of the 38.4-cent tax that motorists pay now.
That’s what Texas Department of Transportation officials came up with recently when they estimated how high the gas tax would have to go in Bexar County to widen 70 miles of highways without tolling the new lanes.
The difference is whether motorists everywhere in the county pay a new gas tax of 1 to 2 cents a mile, depending on vehicle miles per gallon, or if only drivers using the new lanes pay a toll of 15 to 20 cents a mile.
Neither is all that palatable.
These gas taxes of which TxDOT speaks – 17 cents in Austin and 38.4 cents to $1.09 in San Antonio – are local taxes. Also from the excerpt above the tolls in San Antonio will be 15 to 20 cents per mile, that means between $3.00 to $4.00 for a daily commute. As Kuffner points out if we just raised the state gas tax 10 cents, that’s 1/2 cent per mile for all Texans using the 20 MPG model, then toll roads could be out of the discussion.
Dammit, the reason that gas taxes are “drying up” is because they haven’t been raised in 14 years. Texas’ gas tax rate of $0.20 per gallon is 36th highest among the 50 states, which just doesn’t make sense. Raising it by a dime, which would still leave us with a lower tax than other high-population states, would generate over a billion dollars a year for transportation (and over a quarter billion for education, as 25% of your state gas taxes go to education funding), without being an excessive burden to the vast majority of people.
And if we pay for our roads with the gas tax then we own them and we don’t have to worry about foreign corporations raising our tolls in the future so their guaranteed profits come in.
In simplest terms if we raised the gas tax by $2.00/gallon locally it would still be cheaper than toll roads. From what I’ve seen in media accounts the gas tax is treated like a non-starter and is presented as, and presumed to be, unpalatable by the public. Let’s look at the facts, like above, and have a rational discussion on raising the gas tax v. tolls and I think most people will decide to raise the gas tax. It will save taxpayers money.
P.S. The other part of this gas tax v. toll discussion that was mentioned in the article in the SAEN today but many times is left out is the discussion of mass transit. Which could help reduce driving and some of the need for new roads.
salcostello said,
December 1, 2006 at 5:18 pm
Indexing the gas tax is also a good solution, by itself or in addition to gas tax being raised. Politicos don’t like to have the fact that they raised taxes on record when they run again for office. Everything else we buy is indexed.
Thanks
Sal
http://salcostello.blogspot.com/
terri hall said,
December 1, 2006 at 9:55 pm
As part of the San Antonio effort, consider browsing our blog entries on the Express-News gas tax “scare tactic” article here: http://satollparty.com/post/?p=480. Like y’all, we’ve got a whole section on how the gas tax system is HANDS DOWN always cheaper than tolls: http://satollparty.com/alternatives.php (scroll down to gas tax vs. tolls).
Terri Hall
http://satollparty.com
Eye on Williamson » It’s Monday, Oh Geez! said,
December 18, 2006 at 12:33 pm
[...] Me too, hahahahaha! That’s amazing! Build new highways and you get from point A to Point B faster. That’s not magic. It’s common sense and having a toll on the roads has nothing to do with it. There’s also no magic in how much more toll roads cost than freeways. [...]
Eye on Williamson » Toll Roads Are Bad For Many Reasons said,
February 2, 2007 at 4:05 pm
[...] It’s the excessive toll charges as opposed to raising the gas tax, which would be much cheaper for everyone involved. [...]
Eye on Williamson » AAS Editorial On Tolls Is Lacking said,
February 21, 2007 at 4:20 pm
[...] Yes, that’s true, we’ll pay either way. But we all know that the gas tax is a much fairer and cheaper way to fund our roads. The AAS should have pointed that out, if they’re so pro-gas tax. In their editorial – and it’s not just the AAS they all do it – they blame nobody else for jumping on board. Surely if the AAS would point out the vast inequities between one system and the other that would help their cause. But that might make the Chamber of Commerce mad. [...]
Eye on Williamson » A Finer Point On Today’s Hearing said,
March 1, 2007 at 12:06 pm
[...] TxDOT is lacking money because the gas tax hasn’t been raised in 10 years. While raising the gas tax would hurt, it is much, much cheaper than these toll roads. Toll roads run by the state or another public entity would also be much, much cheaper than these toll roads. To stop these toll roads and the TTC we need to raise the gas tax and that means all those people that have been anti-tax have to change when it comes to the gas tax. [...]
Eye on Williamson » Sunshine Works, 25 Senators Sign On To TTC Moratorium said,
March 7, 2007 at 3:11 pm
[...] Well now that almost everyone’s eyes are wide open to what a disaster the Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC) is, it’s amazing what a little sunshine does to privatization schemes that are concocted behind closed doors. Everyone that is except Don Erler, whoever he is, who penned this hilarious editorial in the Startlegram, not sure it was meant to be funny though. He obviously has not read Kuff or McBlogger numbers on the gas tax v. tolls. [...]
Eye on Williamson » Who Woulda Thunk It? said,
March 13, 2007 at 8:34 am
[...] Nobody is suggesting doing nothing, no matter what it “seems” like to Mr. McCombs. There are many alternative plans for improving transportation in Texas. What the moratorium will do is make sure that we’re doing what’s right before we get locked into a plan for 40 years. It might not be the best policy for future care sales, but it’s what’s best for Texans. Yes the choice is between a gas tax, a user fee, or some combination of the two. But from what we’ve seen and heard it’s obvious that ceding our transportation infrastructure to corporations is not the least expensive way to pay for raods, no matter the short-term gain. Even with a 40 cent rise in the gas tax it would be much cheaper than tolls. [...]
Eye on Williamson » Why Do Republicans Always Try To Dodge The Tough Decisions? said,
March 21, 2007 at 1:27 pm
[...] bidder. They will put outrageously high priced tolls on our roads to keep from raising the gas tax which would be much, much cheaper for everyone. They will try to force decisions they were elected to make back onto the people of [...]
Eye on Williamson » “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world….” said,
March 26, 2007 at 10:04 am
[...] Mike Krusee, who’s just trying to make it easier on those in the inner-city and his plan, no matter how unfair, is only soaking the rich Republicans. Those are the people that live in the suburbs that will be [...]
Eye on Williamson » TTC Disconnect said,
April 3, 2007 at 9:42 am
[...] gas tax is great, it’s long overdue, and it’s finally a step in the right direction. A gas tax is always cheaper than to tolls to pay for our roads. But what Sen. Carona and all his GOP cohorts have lost sight of [...]
Eye on Williamson » Road Money Basics said,
April 4, 2007 at 9:20 am
[...] to pay outrageous toll rates for these corporate toll roads or whether Texans were paying a much, much cheaper and more reasonable increase in the broad based gas tax to pay for freeways. Roads that would actually be built with the commuter/tax payer at the [...]
Eye on Williamson » Sen. Carona, You Can’t Put Lipstick On This Pig said,
April 27, 2007 at 11:07 am
[...] have forgotten, and the rest of these pro-corporate tollers don’t seem to understand, is that these are bad deals, period. It doesn’t matter if they’re for 10 years, 20 years, 40 years, of 50 years. Adding [...]
Eye on Williamson » The Gas Tax said,
May 10, 2007 at 10:16 am
[...] Rep. Keffer, and elected officials like him, don’t seem to understand is that tolls are taxes too, and much, much more expensive than a gas tax increase, especially on a corporate toll road, where they will continue to rise with [...]
Eye on Williamson » SB 792 Wrap UP said,
May 18, 2007 at 11:49 am
[...] in all of this is that TTC-35 “seems” to be included in the moratorium. But, beyond a complete change in thinking on how we fund our transportation infrastructure – and it’s hard to see that coming with the GOP still in control of the House in 2009 and [...]
Eye on Williamson » The Lege Caves, And Corporate Toll Roads Move Ahead - UPDATED said,
May 25, 2007 at 10:15 am
[...] If we want to change how we fund our transportation infrastructure, back to Texas owned “freeways”, than we have to get rid of any and all politicians that want to privatize our roads and gouge the taxpayer for corporate profit. Don’t forget, A gas tax is always cheaper. [...]
Eye on Williamson » Perry's Post Session Presser said,
May 29, 2007 at 4:44 pm
[...] care who builds roads!? I had to clean my computer screen after that one. And if he wanted the “cheapest”, as in inexpensive roads, then he should stop with the corporate toll roads and raise and index the [...]
Eye on Williamson » Perry Signs SB 792, The Toll Road "Moratorium" said,
June 11, 2007 at 5:03 pm
[...] A gas tax is always cheaper. [...]
Eye on Williamson » The Congestion Pricing Scam said,
July 11, 2007 at 11:52 am
[...] toll road receipts, or corporate profits, whichever the case. As always don’t forget that raising the gas tax by a couple of cents and indexing it to inflation can end all of this insanity. We just need some politicians with leadership ability to get it [...]
Tamara said,
August 20, 2007 at 9:01 am
I have dedicated many months of my time to prepare a report of sorts on the DRP. What I have discovered is that the entire fate of Texas is connected to the Surcharge Program. This is because the money from the unconstitutional program is earmarked for the Tran-Texas Corridor, which is a strategic segment of what is to become a super corridor that spans the entire North American Continent.
The state is suspending people’s license over not paying an excessive surcharge fee that is in addition to what you agree to in court. What’s more is the money is going to pay for the Corridor projects, without consent or knowledge or the People or Congress! I believe that spreading the word would enable individuals to better deal with the negative effects that the TX DRP has had on their lives, as well as have a say in their own future.
TX DRP Surcharge Petition
http://www.petitiononline.com/TXDRP07/petition.html
Have you heard of this yet??
Tamara said,
August 20, 2007 at 9:02 am
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/images2/nasco.
Eye on Williamson » TxDOT Is Spending Millions To “Educate and Engage Texans” About the TTC said,
August 21, 2007 at 8:51 am
[...] If that was what TxDOT heard, that makes it obvious they’re still not listening. The biggest criticism was that the public wasn’t being listened to when it comes to how we fund our transportation infrastructure. And a campaign of flashy commercials and annoying radio ads shows that TxDOT didn’t get that message and is still ignoring the people of Texas. It’s the gas tax stupid! [...]
Eye on Williamson » The AusChron And Tolls said,
October 5, 2007 at 11:51 pm
[...] He has demonstrated a complete lack of leadership on this issue through his inability to push for a fairer and economically sensible way to pay for transportation infrastructure in Central Texas, and Texas as a [...]
Eye on Williamson » Three On The Toll Schemes Around Texas said,
October 18, 2007 at 10:24 am
[...] elected office anymore. It’s like their purposefully trying to kill their political careers. Just a reminder that the gas tax is much cheaper than 17 cents a [...]
Eye on Williamson » TxDOT, Watson, Carter And The Iraq War said,
December 17, 2007 at 12:34 pm
[...] throwing in with Ric and TxDOT. It’s long past time for Sen. Watson and the legislature to face reality on financing our [...]
Eye on Williamson » Toll Roads Are Not Paved In Gold said,
February 11, 2008 at 2:56 pm
[...] economic promise is no surprise. It was pretty easy to see that coming. The Denver Post series foretold this. Generally speaking the plan of consulting firms is to get the state or local governmental entity [...]
Eye on Williamson » Texas GOP Still Follwing Perry On Transportation said,
April 23, 2008 at 11:50 am
[...] current state leaders – and I use the term leaders lightly – and not matter how high gas prices go, the schemes they are proposing are much, much more expensive than raising the gas tax and indexing i… to pay for new [...]
Eye on Williamson » This Week’s Transportation Wrap UP said,
April 24, 2008 at 12:51 pm
[...] KXAN report, and the comments, makes clear that many are still in need of education on which is the least expensive way to pay for roads. Given a choice, residents do not seem too thrilled with the [...]
Eye on Williamson » Delisi Op-Ed Signals More Of The Same said,
May 8, 2008 at 1:12 pm
[...] Remember as gas tax is always cheaper than tolls. [...]
Eye on Williamson » Thoughts On Lyceum Transportation Poll said,
June 26, 2008 at 9:47 am
[...] infrastructure. Since those are the only two options we have right now. You know, how the gas tax is always cheaper than tolls, and that 25% goes to public education. And yes some elected official will have to step out and [...]
Eye on Williamson » Going “Cashless” Will Cost Us All said,
July 1, 2008 at 10:51 am
[...] to an informed citizenry”. A citizenry who beyond a few blogs is not informed about how much more expensive tolls are than raising the gas tax. Click here to get the full [...]
Eye on Williamson » Analysis of CAMPO, CTRMA, 290E Finance Plan said,
November 18, 2008 at 8:38 pm
[...] raising the gas tax just remember, raising the gas tax is much less expensive than toll roads – Forget Toll Roads Let’s Raise The Gas Tax – It’ll Save You Money. If you have a few minutes on Wedenesday go give the CAMPO/CTRMA folks a piece of you mind, [...]
Eye on Williamson » The future of transportation in Williamson County said,
March 26, 2009 at 10:55 am
[...] In a vacuum, if you discount the last 17 or so years, there’s nothing inherently wrong with this so-called “local option” plan that’s being put forward. But we must remember that this huge hole we now have in our transportation funding infrastructure, in Texas and Williamson County, is because it has been neglected for the last 17 or so years. We’ve been sold a bill of goods over that time that we can have everything if we just lower taxes, and use toll roads instead. But as the cliche says, if something seems to good to be true it usually is, Forget Toll Roads Let’s Raise The Gas Tax – It’ll Save You Money. [...]
Eye on Williamson » Indexing of statewide gas tax tied to stopping diversions said,
May 13, 2009 at 9:05 am
[...] toll roads in this state. A later post at the DMN blog said this, which was interesting, since some bloggers have been saying the same thing for years: But consider that the gas tax has been at 20 cents for 18 years. It has been losing buying power [...]
Eye on Williamson » Approving CDA’a & non-compete clauses is a big mistake said,
July 1, 2009 at 9:48 am
[...] can’t build roads for free…” Gee, thanks for talking to us like children Senator. We know they don’t come free and we also know that corporate toll road schemes just wind up costing much more than any other [...]
Eye on Williamson » Statewide News - SBOE, health care, and toll roads said,
July 6, 2009 at 10:00 am
[...] longer than 10 years, of course, the gas tax hasn’t been raised in this state since 1992. Raising the gas tax should be the first option, and it usually is never mentioned, except to say that it won’t pass. Although no leader [...]
Eye on Williamson » Good Reads said,
July 23, 2009 at 3:03 pm
[...] blog wants KBH and Perry to have a real debate about transportation. Good luck with that, there’s a solution but neither of them will touch it with a ten foot [...]
Eye on Williamson » Toll roads are really expensive said,
August 4, 2009 at 5:13 pm
[...] Nobody saw that coming. Surely there’s a much cheaper way to pay for roads. In case people don’t remember CTRMA ED Mike Heiligenstein was the Precinct One County [...]
Eye on Williamson » Wish I would have thought of it said,
October 21, 2009 at 9:58 pm
[...] and Carona have an idea. Took you guys long enough. Oh yeah, the blue ribbon [...]
Eye on Williamson » TxDOT’s Sunset Review Kick-Off Party & Media Blitz said,
December 15, 2009 at 10:57 am
[...] Again I’ll refer you back to EOW’s earlier post on the “independent” audit, It’s Not The Size Of The Shorfall, It’s How It’s Made Up That Matters. No matter how we want to slice it, the ultimate question is, How do Texans want to pay to make up for the disrepair and neglect our state leaders, and ultimately ourselves, have allowed our transportation infrastructure to fall into in this state? EOW believes the best way to do this is in the fairest, and most broad-based, way possible, which at this time happens to be raising and indexing the gas tax. [...]
Eye on Williamson » A Broken Record said,
May 14, 2010 at 1:12 pm
[...] has said this so many times that it’s a broken record. And re-linked to this post, Forget Toll Roads Let’s Raise The GasTax – It’ll Save You Money, so many times that we’ve lost count. Paul Burka has an excellent post up today and the [...]
Eye on Williamson » Here we go again said,
January 12, 2012 at 12:32 pm
[...] would be nice to see a question like this asked. If it costs much more per mile to drive on a toll road than it does to raise the gas tax, would you still be for toll roads or for toll roads – the [...]
Eye on Williamson » My afternoon at the Texas Tribune Festival said,
September 23, 2012 at 1:05 pm
[...] a much more expensive tax then raising the gas tax several pennies. Carona also made the points that private equity is the [...]
Eye on Williamson » Profit, greed and ideology said,
February 19, 2013 at 9:49 am
[...] especially in Texas. It’s been chronicled here and elsewhere over the last 8 years how a minor increase in the gas tax, then indexed to inflation, could have prevented this crisis in Texas. Instead our leaders have [...]
Eye on Williamson » Years late and billions short said,
February 19, 2013 at 10:23 am
[...] state Sen. Kevin Eltife said yesterday many of us have been saying for years. Welcome aboard Senator, GOP state senator from East Texas promotes gas tax increase to fund [...]
Eye on Williamson » Trying to see what will stick said,
March 26, 2013 at 10:37 am
[...] course raising and indexing the gas tax has always been the best solution. (Here is EOW’s take on Eltife’s plan). There are several other ideas out there. [...]