The High Cost of Free Roads
In Wisconsin, taxpayers pay roughly $779 per household for roads and $50 for transit. But most drivers still believe that transit is subsidized and roads pay for themselves, writes Tanya Snyder.
Snyder talks with the State Smart Transportation Initiative at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who argue that non-users and taxpayers in general are on the hook for a significant portion of the costs of building and maintaining roads.
Snyder quotes a report from 1,000 Friends of Wisconsin:
"Between 2004 and 2008, roads in the state cost an average of $4.24 billion annually. Of this, $1.74 billion came from revenue sources unrelated to road use-primarily property and sales taxes-while another $600 million was borrowed
The fact is, roads constitute one of the biggest tax burdens we face."
Thanks to Tanya Snyder
Published on Monday, December 12, 2011 in
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