Toll scheme is extremely unfair
January 13th 2008 07:32 am
Governor Corzine’s scheme to hike tolls more than 700% over 14 years is extremely unfair. According to figures published by the Star-Ledger, the burden of paying the state’s debt will be unfairly placed on the backs of the toll road users. The following chart shows the relative amount of tolls paid per capita for each county:
Now remember that a lot of the money from the toll hikes is supposed to pay-off the state’s debt. The debt was incurred by all the residents of the state. But the above chart shows that residents of Monmouth and Middlesex counties will pay 10 times as much as residents of Sussex and Warren counties.
A better plan would be to use toll hikes mainly for toll road expenses/debt, a gas tax hike for other transportation-related expenses/debt, and other state-wide sources of income for the state’s general debt.
(The above chart isn’t perfect. It only covers residential E-ZPass accounts in New Jersey paying tolls on the Turnpike and Parkway. It doesn’t cover business accounts, drivers who pay cash, Atlantic City Expressway tolls, or people living outside of New Jersey. But it’s pretty clear that the debt will not be paid equally by all New Jersey residents.)
finsuburbia responded on 13 Jan 2008 at 4:31 pm #
How about tolling all of the major limited access highways (i.e. the interstates)? It would distribute the load a lot more evenly around the state. The only problem I see is that it would require federal permission to do so.
Joe Versaggi responded on 13 Jan 2008 at 5:51 pm #
I am all for tolling the Freeways and raising the gas tax, but the former cannot be used for anything other than from where it was collected - not for public transit nor debt reduction.
finsuburbia responded on 13 Jan 2008 at 9:18 pm #
Why not? They are both part of the transportation system.
Bob Scheurle responded on 14 Jan 2008 at 6:17 am #
See http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/tea21/factsheets/tolpilot.htm
Joe Versaggi responded on 14 Jan 2008 at 7:35 am #
Because federal law prohibits it.
finsuburbia responded on 14 Jan 2008 at 11:21 am #
I should have noted about the required permission from the federal government. I thought you were making the argument that it only should be used for road improvements. My mistake.
Joe Versaggi responded on 14 Jan 2008 at 11:46 am #
But there is nothing stopping them from raising the state gas tax for any purpose.
Bob Scheurle responded on 14 Jan 2008 at 1:12 pm #
Well, except for their focus groups.
finsuburbia responded on 14 Jan 2008 at 5:17 pm #
Well I agree that the gas tax should be raised. It should be raise to the point at which they can eliminate the need to borrow for the TTF (thereby making it permently solvent). I just think that they need to use this to eliminate the current debt which is quite substantial.
Bob Scheurle responded on 14 Jan 2008 at 9:13 pm #
Which, as we can see, is extremely unfair.