Read Driscoll’s blog here.
Especially tune into the comments following the blog entry. Mr. Gearhart knocks it out of the park when he rightly states no matter how you look at it, tolls are a MASSIVE tax increase compared to the gas tax system. Even if we raised the gas tax 50 cents a gallon (that’s more than twice the current state gas tax of 20 cents a gallon), that would still be an increase in the hundreds of dollars a year per driver versus THOUSANDS more per year in toll taxes.
US 281 is the most glaring example here in San Antonio of DOUBLE TAXATION, since not only are the EXISTING lanes built with gas tax money (that will be turned into toll lanes), even the IMPROVEMENTS and EXPANSION of that highway are 100% paid for with GAS TAXES. There is no justification for charging us a toll for something that’s already paid for (see the proof here and here). It’s nothing more than a money grab, it’s all being negotiated in SECRET (read about it here and here ), and it’s eminent domain abuse where they take our private Texans’ land for a highway and hand it over to foreign corporations in a 50+ year monopoly! There’s plenty NOT to like about Governor Perry’s and now President Bush’s privatizing and toll tax scheme (see it here)…find out who voted to toll you here and BOOT THEM OUT OF OFFICE come November!