White House opens door to tolls on interstate highways, removing long-standing prohibition

Washington Post ^ | 4/29/14 | Ashley Halsey III

[SoFloFreeper]

...the Obama administration Tuesday opened the door for states to collect tolls on interstate highways to raise revenue for roadway repairs.

The proposal, contained in a four-year, $302 billion White House transportation bill, would reverse a long-standing federal prohibition on most interstate tolling.

[SoFloFreeper]

All the better to track your movements, my dear.

Oh yeah....those highways you bought? Now you gotta pay to use 'em. Dictator Obama has spoken.

[Dubh_Ghlase]

Pay for use? This mean they will cut the gas taxes for highway improvements/maintenance?

[icwhatudo]

Awesome, now they can get rid of the gas tax.

[Sirius Lee]

Awesome, now they can get rid of the gas tax.

Thumbs up x 100

[The Working Man]

You dreamer!

[fatnotlazy]

You’re kidding, right? Taxes never go away.

[cripplecreek]

And lets just forget about all that infrastructure spending.

[Dogfaced Soldier]

They should tax his an Mooch’s trips on Air Force One & Two plus tax their hotel & entertainment spending.

[Little Pig]

And just to add a practical example, the Massachusetts Turnpike has been fully paid for, by tolls, for years now, but the toll booths have not gone away, and that money is not being used to provide maintenance.

[Alberta's Child]

That might not be as far-fetched as you think. Didn't Virginia just eliminate their fuel tax last year and make up for the lost revenue by applying the state sales tax to fuel?

One big flaw with the fuel tax is that revenues decline consistently over time as: (1) vehicles running on something other than gasoline or diesel fuel become more common, and (2) vehicles running on these fossil fuels become more fuel efficient.

A big advantage of tolls is that it puts the cost of the infrastructure on the users. This is always preferred to a tax scheme where a lot of the costs of the infrastructure are paid by everyone.

[stars & stripes forever]

Pay for use?

I thought Illinois sold their toll roads to South Africa. Will they own all of the toll roads in Illinois?

[Yo-Yo]

Why Does the Interstate System Include Toll Facilities>

Today, the 46,730-mile Interstate System includes approximately 2,900 miles of turnpikes.

[Alberta's Child]

... the Massachusetts Turnpike has been fully paid for, by tolls, for years now ...

You hear this sort of thing a lot. It's actually a myth. The cost of keeping a highway like the Massachusetts in a state of good repair are enormous.

Think of it like a new car. It's never really "fully paid for" even if you don't owe a penny to a bank or auto finance company, is it?

[cripplecreek]

A big advantage of tolls is that it puts the cost of the infrastructure on the users. This is always preferred to a tax scheme where a lot of the costs of the infrastructure are paid by everyone.


We're all users and are all already paying. Fuel taxes are included in the costs of goods and services that move by road.

[Alberta's Child]

... the Massachusetts Turnpike, that is.

[Joe Boucher]

This should really help them dems.
Obammy is the gift that keeps on giving.
wotrthless quota boy.

[Slyfox]

The price of gasoline was $1.87 when Bathhouse Barry first took office.

Just sayin'.

[Diogenesis]

federal prohibition?

The hated, EXEMPT Congress is as useless as
teats on a bull.
They should just commit ritual suicide, already.

[SoFloFreeper]

Who said that? You?