The MTA Needs More Money. Will It Get It?
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"Cash-strapped" is not just a cute adjective that always precedes the noun "MTA." It's a harsh reality.
Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Gas Tax
House GOP Transportation Bill Would Raise Taxes on Transit and Bikes
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The bill would amount to a tax increase of more than $200 million annually on American transit agencies.
It’s Time to Stop Pretending That Roads Pay for Themselves
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If nothing else, the current round of federal transportation legislating should end the myth that highways are a uniquely self-sufficient form of infrastructure paid for by “user fees,” a.k.a. gas taxes and tolls. With all the general tax revenue that goes toward roads in America, car infrastructure has benefited from hefty subsidies for many years. […]
Senate Transpo Bill Sinks Under the Weight of Its Own Chicanery
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Last night, the Senate voted to proceed with the consideration of the transportation bill Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Democrat Barbara Boxer had worked out. It was just a day after the body had voted to block progress, objecting that they hadn’t had time to even look at the bill. The policy elements of the […]
Is Raising the Gas Tax Really the Answer?
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Cross-posted from the Frontier Group … In the 1920s, Great Britain debated the future of its Road Fund – a pot of money raised from vehicle excise taxes and devoted exclusively to road repair. Then-Chancellor of the Exchequer Winston Churchill opposed the fund, arguing that, if drivers paid taxes dedicated solely to roads, “It will be only […]
American Roads Depend on Handouts From Bus Riders, Cyclists, Pedestrians
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Once upon a time in America, the road system was largely funded by the gas tax. But that was many Highway Trust Fund bailouts ago. Today, only about half the money spent on the U.S. road system comes from fuel taxes, tolls, or other fees paid by drivers, according to a new report [PDF] by the U.S. Public Interest […]