A $1 billion road-funding proposal to patch up Michigan’s pothole-infested pavement has been put on ice for the summer because state lawmakers won’t put up the votes to hike the gasoline tax.Opponents argue politicians should clean up sloppy spending elsewhere in the state budget before hitting motorists up for more.
One place to start is to ask whether all Michigan mass transit riders are paying their fair share.
A big chunk of funding for Michigan’s big city bus systems comes from fuel taxes and vehicle registration fees paid by those of us who drive on the roads.
The Detroit Department of Transportation alone received $47.6 million from state taxpayers for operating revenue in 2012 (the last year of reporting in the Federal Transit Administration’s database.)
Yet, DDOT bus riders actually benefiting from the service paid just $23 million in fares.
No comments:
Post a Comment