The Gas Tax
Finally, a tax I like!
The gas tax is one of the fairest and most efficient of all "use" taxes (when used for roads) - FAR superior to the toll method. The gas tax charges the right people - anyone using the roads. It charges them fairly - the more you drive, the more you pay, AND the larger your vehicle, the more you pay, since larger vehicles wear the roads faster. And unlike tolls, little is wasted collecting it, and you don't have to go out of your way to pay it or maintain a separate account.
The gas tax truly is the perfect High-Speed E-ZPass.
However, I will fight ANY gas tax hike until all who pay it receive a fair share. And that won't happen as long as there are tolls.
Sorry if the first part of this page sounds like my anti-toll pages, but the gas tax and toll tax are virtually the same thing - a road tax, and some people are paying twice. The Turnpike recently had a toll increase, and the Parkway's next because of E-ZPass. And raising the gas tax is grossly unfair to toll road users because it would be asking them to contribute more to roads they aren't using.
The price of gas has varied 50¢ over the last few years with minor complaining, yet people howl whenever someone suggests raising the gas tax a few cents. But it would only take about 3¢ added to the gas tax to free the Parkway.
Do you know how much adding 3¢ to the gas tax would cost you? Look it up:
| 10,000 | 15,000 | 20,000 | |
| 35 | $8.57 | $12.86 | $17.14 |
| 30 | $10.00 | $15.00 | $20.00 |
| 25 | $12.00 | $18.00 | $24.00 |
| 20 | $15.00 | $22.50 | $30.00 |
| 15 | $20.00 | $30.00 | $40.00 |
If raising the gas tax a few cents is so horrible, then why are tolls acceptable? Toll road commuters can pay the equivalent of an additional $1 or more a gallon in gas tax (just multiply your highway MPG by the 5¢ / mi. average to get an idea how much you're paying in tolls "per gallon"). Why is a few cents a gallon horrible for some, but $1 a gallon is OK for others?
Using taxes on the Parkway would be just as fair as using taxes on the 34,000 miles of toll-free roads in NJ. The way it is now, toll-road users are the only ones paying for two roads while driving just one. Why should some drivers pay over twice as much in taxes for the same service?
But enough about tolls. I have an entire web site devoted to that, so if you'd like to hear more, please visit www.EndTolls.com.
