Funding Michigan's Roads

I believe the best way to pay for Michigan's roads is to drop the gas tax and increase the income tax.

I would set by law that the additional income tax money can only be used for the roads, maybe putting that in the Michigan Constitution.

This makes more economic sense than a "use tax" such as the current gas tax or a milage tax, since economically everyone benefits from the existence of roads.

I'm highly skeptical of the toll road idea. As I've said before, long before it was raised in this new article, Michigan isn't a pass-through state. That means we're going to have to pay for the roads ourselves anyway. So what's fairer, gas tax, toll tax or income tax? You can't justify both gas taxes and tolls, it's double-dipping.

Time for toll roads in Michigan? Lawmakers revive debate

The use tax is never going to fly either, with miles traveled recorded by your vehicle and submitted to the that state. Eh eh.

Floyd Robertson wrote:I'm highly skeptical of the toll road idea. As I've said before, long before it was raised in this new article, Michigan isn't a pass-through state. That means we're going to have to pay for the roads ourselves anyway. So what's fairer, gas tax, toll tax or income tax? You can't justify both gas taxes and tolls, it's double-dipping.

Time for toll roads in Michigan? Lawmakers revive debate

The use tax is never going to fly either, with miles traveled recorded by your vehicle and submitted to the that state. Eh eh.

What about I-94? as far as trucks needing to go to Detroit and then to Chicago? I know that's not "pass through" but it's close

DWags wrote:

Floyd Robertson wrote:I'm highly skeptical of the toll road idea. As I've said before, long before it was raised in this new article, Michigan isn't a pass-through state. That means we're going to have to pay for the roads ourselves anyway. So what's fairer, gas tax, toll tax or income tax? You can't justify both gas taxes and tolls, it's double-dipping.

Time for toll roads in Michigan? Lawmakers revive debate

The use tax is never going to fly either, with miles traveled recorded by your vehicle and submitted to the that state. Eh eh.

What about I-94? as far as trucks needing to go to Detroit and then to Chicago? I know that's not "pass through" but it's close

I69 from Port Huron to I80 is a pass through, for Canadian Truckers. So is I75 from the Ambassador Bridge to Toledo.

Trucks in and out of Detroit are delivering or shipping for Michigan businesses.

Trapper Gus wrote:

DWags wrote:

What about I-94? as far as trucks needing to go to Detroit and then to Chicago? I know that's not "pass through" but it's close

I69 from Port Huron to I80 is a pass through, for Canadian Truckers. So is I75 from the Ambassador Bridge to Toledo.

Trucks in and out of Detroit are delivering or shipping for Michigan businesses.

I haven't read the article or even up on this. However, has somebody done the math on this?

Also, this will show you how I failed economics and my poli sci classes, but I always wondered how hard it would be to have a sunrise sunset on state income taxes. We have daylight savings time. Why can't we raise the state income tax between Memorial day and Labor day? 1.5%. I read once where Saugatuck was taking in about 1/2 billion dollars in that period. I'm a bit fuzzy on the math, but if our state went from 4.25% to 5.75%, and Saugatuck was taking in 1/2 billion, that's 7.5 million extra dollars alone in just one city in Michigan.

I'm sure we can't do that, and I believe we have to have a bill to raise and lower income taxes every time. I think We were just in court about raising the tax lever from 4.05 to 4.25.

Anyway, dumb idea. But face it, we woudl be taxing way more people between Memorial and Labor day.

Wait, I thought the damn roads were fixed? What exactly has whitmer been doing?

Signed,
Zurn