I have always wondered why the TRUCKING COMPANYS get (basically) a free ride on the roads and RAILROADS have to pay for everything (taxes, plus up keep) on their “road”. I know they pay taxes, too. But they don’t have to pay for the up keep, even though they are the ones tearing up the roads. The RR’s pay property taxs in every community they go thru, but trucks don’t, except maybe a toll or tax on a terminal. A lot of trucks will only fuel up in cheaper taxed states and (try to) drive straight thru high tax states, cheating that state out of its share.
What I’m really getting to is why does not the US GOVERNMENT put as much money on AMTRAK as they do roads.
The GOVERNMENT years ago went after the RR’s by building the interstate highway system. It’s time they put A LOT more money on the RR’s, because they have paid MORE THAN THEIR FAIR SHARE of TAXES.
trucks dont get a free ride like you think… they do pay to use the interstates just as eveyone that uses them dose…when you buy gas for your car…part of the money you pay is tax…tax money from sales of fuel for truckers is taxed the same way thus they do pay somewhat…so they dont realy get a 100% free ride
csx engineer
also… the interstate system was not developed to take on the railroads…it was devoloped by pres Dwite D Esenhower as a cold war project to be able to move millitary hardware faster should we be attacted but any of the warsaw pack nations…the USSR mostly…also as a way for the civilian population to beable to evacuate the major cities in the event of a A bomb attact…keep in mind…this was befor ICBMs where the mainstay of delivering a nuclear warhead and intercontinetal bombers was the only why to deliver a bomb…that is the true start of the interstate system…
csx engineer
Remember when the truckers used to have the little signs on them bragging about how much tax they paid? They took them off after some folks did some studies and found that they were paying less than half what they should just to cover the damage they do.
I think we should view Amtrak as an asset in our transportation infrastructure. Fund it properly - not to make a profit, but to provide a service to the country.
There are Federal fuel taxes and other Federal auto/truck fees that go into the Highway Trust Fund which was initially set up primairly to fund Interstate Highways. The money in the fund is allocated to the States for road construction and maintenance.
A small percentage of the money goes into the “Mass Transit Account” portion of the HTF. So some of Amtraks funding comes from the HTF.
California has a STATE HIGHWAY ACCOUNT (SHA) “The bulk of the SHA supports the State’s highway system, but a portion of the account also supports rail projects…”
California probably has the highest fuel costs in the nation, but I haven’t noticed any truck stops closing.
The State of California has a PUBLIC TANSPORTATION ACCOUNT (PTA) which is the “exclusive source of intercity rail operating funds … and a potential source of intercity rail capitol funds.” The funding for the PTA comes from sales taxes on diesel fuel and gasoline. Beginning in 2008-09 the PTA will receive 20 percent of the gasoline sales tax revenue.
If you ride intercity rail in California 40% to 60% (depending on which train you are on) of the fare is being for paid for you by the trucks and autos on the streets and highways.
I don’t think either the truckers or the motorists are getting a “free ride”
but they do pay a some taxes for the interstates by the fuel taxes when they buy fuel…and that was the point i am making to railroad65… its not a true free ride if they pay something…even if it is less then what it takes to fix it from their use…they do pay
csx engineer