Re:How much do things really cost?
by AlotOfReading on Saturday April 02, 2022 @04:44PM
(#30891526)
What they mean is that the vehicle-specific costs they incur aren't sufficient to cover the true costs to society, from pollution cleanup to road maintenance. Instead, those funds must be drawn from general sources like income taxes. Once you account for social ills like pollution, the costs end up falling disproportionately on the people who can least afford them and contribute the least to the problem.
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Re:How much do things really cost?
by Dracophoenix on Sunday April 03, 2022 @09:20AM
(#30896691)
Road maintenance is paid for by property taxes. You have to be a home owner to pay property taxes. The costs don't disproportionately fall on those who are least able to afford them, but on those who have the most invested in a local, tangible asset (i.e. homeowners, business owners, landowners, etc.)
Re:How much do things really cost?
by AlotOfReading on Sunday April 03, 2022 @01:14PM
(#30898586)
It is partially but not exclusively paid for by property taxes. It's actually a fairly small share of funding in some cases. The BATIC institute gives the numbers 5% and 1% for highways and transit funding respectively [1]. Moreover, funding is not evenly distributed here. Suburbs tend to have massive road networks and long commutes, but comparatively low property taxes. This creates a shortfall that generally gets made by with sales taxes and general funds.
[1] http://www.financingtransportation.org/funding_financing/fun...