Toll temptations.With greater frequency, state lawmakers are looking at toll roads The following is a list of toll roads. Toll roads are roads on which a toll authority collects a fee for use. This list also contains toll bridges and toll tunnels. Lists of these subsets of toll roads can be found in List of toll bridges and List of toll tunnels. both public and private--as a potential source of revenue for needed transportation improvements. Significant growth in population, travel and freight movement have increased transportation demands and widened the gap between the amount necessary to improve the surface transportation system and the amount states can spend. By 2015, the national cumulative transportation funding deficit from all levels of government will reach S1 trillion, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a 2005 report published by the National Chamber Foundation. Much of the problem can be traced to shrinking revenue. Motor vehicle fuel excise taxes excise taxes, governmental levies on specific goods produced and consumed inside a country. They differ from tariffs, which usually apply only to foreign-made goods, and from sales taxes, which typically apply to all commodities other than those specifically exempted. , a transportation funding staple, have not kept up with inflation. With soaring gas prices, gas tax increases are politically unpalatable. In fact, following Hurricane Katrina, Georgia temporarily suspended its gas tax. New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of capped its gasoline sales tax sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. this year, and several other states considered similar proposals. Given this funding climate, more states are looking at tolls. Nationally, toll revenues are up 36 percent since 1998, and toll roads and bridges are operating in at least 31 states. Tolls compose a significant portion of the transportation budget in eight states, and at least 10 states considered the option in 2006. The 2005 federal transportation authorization bill, known as SAFETEA-LU SAFETEA-LU Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users , created several pilot programs and supports other toll-related initiatives. An intriguing but controversial issue is the privatization privatization: see nationalization. privatization Transfer of government services or assets to the private sector. State-owned assets may be sold to private owners, or statutory restrictions on competition between privately and publicly owned of existing toll roads. In 2005, Chicago signed a $1.8 billion, 99-year lease agreement that gave a private investor the rights to operate the Chicago Skyway. Indiana signed a 75-year, $3.8 billion toll road lease agreement in 2006, and at least a half-dozen states are exploring similar options. Such agreements can provide an immediate cash infusion. Critics worry, however, about surrendering control and profits from public facilities that have already demonstrated a proven revenue stream. Additionally, there are no guarantees that revenue from such agreements will be reinvested in transportation. |
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