Fuel for the future

Fort Worth Star-Telegram ^ | December 11, 2006 | Fort Worth Star-Telegram

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Posting this follow-up editorial because one FReeper was interested enough to post the article below the other day, and at least one other FReeper showed enough interest to comment:

Not Necessary to Toll, A&M Expert Says

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Trans-Texas Corridor PING!

(Somewhat off-topic)

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

PING!

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Another link to peruse:

Texas' Roadways -- Texas' Future (http://www.texasgbc.org/reports2.htm)

[Red6]

No new taxes-

Rick, I vote, remember what happened in Congress. It don't pay to be a RINO.

[Diddle E. Squat]

[Texas:] Toll road argument thrown into doubt

[mysterio]

Politicians doing anything to increase gas prices right now are committing political suicide.

[Diddle E. Squat]

No new taxes- Rick, I vote, remember what happened in Congress. It don't pay to be a RINO.

Rick Perry is advocating tollways, where only the users pay, instead of a tax increase.

This article and the anti-toll road groups who spam here are advocating a huge increase in the gas TAX, where everyone pays.

Rick Perry's position is the no new taxes position, the only people who would pay for the tollroads would be those who CHOSE to use them.

[IamConservative]

Meanwhile, Texas' need for more roads is greatly expanding because of the population explosion that has occurred over the past 15 years and is expected to continue well into the future.

Seems oblivious to the fact that the population explosion would drive increased tax revenues.

[VirginiaConstitutionalist]

Seems oblivious to the fact that the population explosion would drive increased tax revenues.

True, but the price of steel, concrete, etc. are growing even than the population/revenues. Indexing gas taxes to the inflation will help, but not much since construction costs are rising faster than inflation.

I say keep the gas tax where it is, use tolls to finance new highways and where possible have developers build local streets.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Seems oblivious to the fact that the population explosion would drive increased tax revenues.

This would be overtaken by all those new people adding to wear and tear on the roads...

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

True, but the price of steel, concrete, etc. are growing even than the population/revenues. Indexing gas taxes to the inflation will help, but not much since construction costs are rising faster than inflation.

Therefore, it is better in index the gas tax to the hikes in construction costs...

[Ben Ficklin]

We will need the toll roads and a rise in the gas tax.

Let's fiddle with the gas tax numbers.

Currently at 20 cents with 5 cents to schools. Raise by 8 cents with 2 cents going to schools. Highways net 21 cents. Schools net 7 cents.

So, if the 5 of 20 cents currently going to schools were restored to highways, the gas tax would only need to be raised by 1 cent and then indexed. The legislature then has to find a way to replace the 5 cents/gallon going to schools.

As for the fed gax tax, leave it alone since Texas gets less than it pays in.

[Muleteam1]

In this New Mexico-bordering Texas panhandle county, no one could operate a gas station profitably in the County if the State raised gasoline taxes as are being proposed. The high Texas sales tax rates already have many of us driving to New Mexico for gasoline and groceries. Personally I'm tired of paying over $2800 a year for less than $80,000 worth of commercial and residential property that has not appreciated in the past twenty years. We also are one of the few Texas counties that has a personal property tax on vehicles. A new vehicle can cost $500 or more a year, and this does not include the regular Texas registration and inspection fees.

More Texas taxes? Maybe Austin should just vote to reverse the "e" and the "a" in the State's name.

[wolfcreek]

"Rick Perry's position is the no new taxes position"


Tell that to the people and their customers who will be paying the new 3% business tax. Tell that to the users of tobacco products. Tell that to the property owners who were promised relief. Rick Perry has gone back to being a tax and spend Liberal.

[Clay Moore]

I have a better idea. Let's put a tax of $10 per newspaper. That would both raise revenue and hopefully rid the world of the Ft Worth Red Star.

[narby]

Rick Perry is advocating tollways, where only the users pay, instead of a tax increase.

Yeah, that's what they said in Oklahoma 50 years ago when they started building toll roads.

As a born and bred Okie, I'm glad Texas will start building toll roads. It will flatten the Texas economy down to the growth rate experienced by Oklahoma.

Maybe Texas can lower it's economic performace to match that of another large tract of real estate with lots of toll roads. France.

I'll stay here in Arizona, where we successfully shouted down calls for toll roads about 5 years ago, and instead continue to rapidly build freeways and our economy.

My house is *still* going up in value, despite its gain of 25% last year, and the current "bubble". How you texicans doing?

[E.G.C.]

BTTT

[Diddle E. Squat]

Tell that to the people and their customers who will be paying the new 3% business tax. Tell that to the users of tobacco products. Tell that to the property owners who were promised relief. Rick Perry has gone back to being a tax and spend Liberal.

So you now want to raise the gas TAX instead of toll financing?

The article is advocating raising the gas tax instead of using tolls to fund some roads.

[Diddle E. Squat]

As a born and bred Okie, I'm glad Texas will start building toll roads. It will flatten the Texas economy down to the growth rate experienced by Oklahoma. Maybe Texas can lower it's economic performace to match that of another large tract of real estate with lots of toll roads. France.

The strongest state economy in the nation for several years now, even stronger than Texas, was Florida. A state crisscrossed with toll roads.

Nazi's wore pants. So if you wear pants, does that make you a Nazi (using your silly logic)?