From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!floyd!cmcl2!edler
Newsgroups: net.politics
Title: gas tax and public transportation
Article-I.D.: cmcl2.22053
Posted: Wed Dec  1 01:28:14 1982
Received: Thu Dec  2 01:54:21 1982



Most of the discussion about the gas tax has centered on federal
versus state issues.  Has it occurred to anyone that a gas tax
is inherently regressive (affects poor people more than rich people)?
It seems to me that social assets like the highways and roads should
be funded the same way we fund most other things: through income tax.
I think the problem is that we don't have a progressive enough income
tax.  I hate to upset any of you millionaires out there, but you should
be taxed more, and those at the low end should be taxed less.
I see no reason to support the highways with a usage tax; once there
is a suitable transportation alternative then we can consider
ways to discourage driving.

I'm have doubts about how fruitful a discussion of tax philosophy can be.

Lets discuss what can be done to replace the whole highway
and automobile system with a rationally planned public system.
Can there be any doubt that even conventional railroads are more
efficient (in total social cost, not just fuel cost)?
Does anyone know what the real annual cost is of maintaining
the national automobile and truck fleet?
Is there any doubt that the railroad system is in far worse
shape in this country than it was in the past?  Not to mention
urban transportation systems!!

If you want to respond to this, send it to net.politics.
If it isn't good enough for all net.politics readers, then
I probably don't want it in my mailbox.

Stirring things up,

	Jan Edler		cmcl2!edler	(nyu)
				pyuxll!jse	(btl piscataway)