PAY FOR ROADS | interstate highway tolls | interstate toll - 0 views
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anonymous on 18 Aug 17DON'T DOUBLE DIP IN DRIVERS' POCKETS TO PAY FOR ROADS By The Hill Jim Burg and David Congdon Infrastructure investment is a rare Beltway issue where both sides can find common ground. America's roads, bridges, pipes and ports need sustainable funding to support a modern economy. And while we agree with Secretary LaHood and Governor Rendell's call-to-action we vehemently disagree with their policy prescription. The call for "eliminating federal restrictions on tolling interstate highways," is deeply misguided. Nationwide tolling, which would impose an additional tax on the 70 percent of goods moved by trucks, would be a disaster for the economy. The American Trucking Associations recognizes that new revenue sources must be found to address the backlog of road and bridge projects. That's why we've signed on as the co-chairmen of the newly formed Infrastructure Funding Task Force which is committed to exploring many options to find a long-term financing solution that will address our nation's transportation needs. There is no single cure-all for transportation funding, but tolling existing interstates may create problems worse than the disease it seeks to treat. America's interstates were built using tax revenue, and fuel taxes have paid to maintain them since. Any new toll is double taxation. Since the inception of the Federal Interstate Highway System, the federal gas tax has always been the primary source of revenue for the construction and maintenance of federal interstate lanes. Every time a motorist puts gas in his vehicle, he is paying his or her share for interstate maintenance. A new toll on an existing interstate forces a motorist to pay two taxes for that same road: a gas tax and a toll tax. Costs will go up throughout the entire supply chain, as logistics companies and retailers are forced to pass the higher cost of doing business onto customers. Furthermore, tolls will force truck drivers and motorists to use secondary roads to avoid
