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Then please tell me how you want to pay for the desperately needed transportation improvements. The current gas tax is inadequate and unsustainable. What would you do? Raise the gas tax? Raise the sales tax? Something has to give. Jay
If a person is caught driving a car five miles per hour over the speed limit on a highway, then he or she would currently receive a $157 ticket (see CGS §14-219(b) and the Superior Court’s Schedule of Fines Appendix B-1).The $157 total is made up of a $50 base fine, surcharges of $25 and $35, fees of $7 and $20, and assessments of $5 and $15. These amounts are directed as follows:
the $50 base fine and $25 surcharge go to the Special Transportation Fund, the $35 surcharge is deposited in the General Fund (CGS § 54-143a); the $7 fee is deposited in the General Fund for the purpose of funding municipal and state police training (CGS § 51-56a(c)); the $15 assessment is deposited in the General Fund and credited to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund (CGS §§ 54-143(a) and 54-215(b)); the $5 assessment is deposited in the General Fund and credited to a brain injury prevention and services account (CGS § 14-295a); and 2019-R-0285 December 2, 2019 Page 2 of 2 m the $20 fee is remitted to the municipality in which the violation occurred (CGS § 51-56a(d)).
-$50 base + $25 = $75 of that ticket go to special transporation fund
-Instead of the $35 surcharge going to the General Fund, put it toward the transportation fund.
Now it's $110 of that $157 ticket going into special transportation.
-Also take the $20 fee that's remitted to the municipality in which the violation occurred and put that into the transporation fund as well.
Now $130 of the $157 ticket go to the transportation fund rather than only $75. We've almost doubled.
On any fine motor vehicle related on interstates/state roads, divert more money of said fine toward the special transportation fund.
2.) Spend less on state employees.
-CT currently has $97,868 state employees on payroll. $3.98 billion goes to salaries and wages, $263 million to overtime and $137 million to "other" expenses.
- Cut overtime across the board from all agencies. When a lot of the state workforce retires in the next couple years review all vacant positions and determine if it really needs to be filled again. Some of those positions will not need to be filled. Use those savings to divert into the special transportation fund.
3.) Legalize sports gambling and divert all revenues into the special transportation fund.
- Model it exactly how NJ does. According to marketwatch.com from June 2018 to Sept 2019, NJ brought in $36.12 million. "New Jersey has an 8.5% tax for sports bets made in person and a 13% tax for online and mobile sports bets." according to the article. "Over 80% of all sports bets placed in New Jersey were made online, as opposed to at a retail location, meaning that a vast majority of New Jersey wagers were taxed at the 13% rate."
- Any money that CT would make from it, put it toward infrastructure improvements.
4.) Legalize and tax marijuana
- Because our government has a difficult time coming up with its own ideas, model after MA. According to an article on masslive.com.. "As fiscal 2020 drew to a close in June, Massachusetts marked a milestone: $122 million in tax revenue had been collected in the first two fiscal years of recreational cannabis sales." "The funds come from a 20% tax on recreational cannabis, implemented on all non-medical sales since the first recreational stores opened in November 2018. The tax includes a 6.25% sales tax, a 10.75% excise tax, and local option tax for cities and towns up to 3%."
-Sales taxes brought in $38.16 million that went to the General Fund, $65.63 million in excise taxes and $18.28 million in local option taxes. - "According to state law, the Legislature can appropriate that funding to support the Cannabis Control Commission or five other areas, two of which focus on economic equity and initiatives to benefit people living in communities disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs. The law also allows the Legislature to allocate money to public and behavioral health, public safety and municipal police training."
- I'd continue to put the sales tax into the general fund but I would move all excise taxes into the special transportation fund. Use marijuana sales to help fund improving the roads.
5.) State legislators shake a can and ask for change in front of grocery stores like they're little leaguers.
- Pick the 10 most senior legislators as well as all the Governor, speaker of the House and Majority/minority leaders and station them on a rotating schedule every day in front of Stop and Shops, Price Choppers, Big Y and have them beg people coming in and out of grocery stores for their spare change. Everyone who donates get a sticker with a car drawing on it. All revenues will go into the special transportation fund.
Check out all this $$ we have for our roads now and we didn't need to implement tolls or increase the gas tax.
If a person is caught driving a car five miles per hour over the speed limit on a highway, then he or she would currently receive a $157 ticket (see CGS §14-219(b) and the Superior Court’s Schedule of Fines Appendix B-1).The $157 total is made up of a $50 base fine, surcharges of $25 and $35, fees of $7 and $20, and assessments of $5 and $15. These amounts are directed as follows:
the $50 base fine and $25 surcharge go to the Special Transportation Fund, the $35 surcharge is deposited in the General Fund (CGS § 54-143a); the $7 fee is deposited in the General Fund for the purpose of funding municipal and state police training (CGS § 51-56a(c)); the $15 assessment is deposited in the General Fund and credited to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund (CGS §§ 54-143(a) and 54-215(b)); the $5 assessment is deposited in the General Fund and credited to a brain injury prevention and services account (CGS § 14-295a); and 2019-R-0285 December 2, 2019 Page 2 of 2 m the $20 fee is remitted to the municipality in which the violation occurred (CGS § 51-56a(d)).
-$50 base + $25 = $75 of that ticket go to special transporation fund
-Instead of the $35 surcharge going to the General Fund, put it toward the transportation fund.
Now it's $110 of that $157 ticket going into special transportation.
-Also take the $20 fee that's remitted to the municipality in which the violation occurred and put that into the transporation fund as well.
Now $130 of the $157 ticket go to the transportation fund rather than only $75. We've almost doubled.
On any fine motor vehicle related on interstates/state roads, divert more money of said fine toward the special transportation fund.
2.) Spend less on state employees.
-CT currently has $97,868 state employees on payroll. $3.98 billion goes to salaries and wages, $263 million to overtime and $137 million to "other" expenses.
- Cut overtime across the board from all agencies. When a lot of the state workforce retires in the next couple years review all vacant positions and determine if it really needs to be filled again. Some of those positions will not need to be filled. Use those savings to divert into the special transportation fund.
3.) Legalize sports gambling and divert all revenues into the special transportation fund.
- Model it exactly how NJ does. According to marketwatch.com from June 2018 to Sept 2019, NJ brought in $36.12 million. "New Jersey has an 8.5% tax for sports bets made in person and a 13% tax for online and mobile sports bets." according to the article. "Over 80% of all sports bets placed in New Jersey were made online, as opposed to at a retail location, meaning that a vast majority of New Jersey wagers were taxed at the 13% rate."
- Any money that CT would make from it, put it toward infrastructure improvements.
4.) Legalize and tax marijuana
- Because our government has a difficult time coming up with its own ideas, model after MA. According to an article on masslive.com.. "As fiscal 2020 drew to a close in June, Massachusetts marked a milestone: $122 million in tax revenue had been collected in the first two fiscal years of recreational cannabis sales." "The funds come from a 20% tax on recreational cannabis, implemented on all non-medical sales since the first recreational stores opened in November 2018. The tax includes a 6.25% sales tax, a 10.75% excise tax, and local option tax for cities and towns up to 3%."
-Sales taxes brought in $38.16 million that went to the General Fund, $65.63 million in excise taxes and $18.28 million in local option taxes. - "According to state law, the Legislature can appropriate that funding to support the Cannabis Control Commission or five other areas, two of which focus on economic equity and initiatives to benefit people living in communities disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs. The law also allows the Legislature to allocate money to public and behavioral health, public safety and municipal police training."
- I'd continue to put the sales tax into the general fund but I would move all excise taxes into the special transportation fund. Use marijuana sales to help fund improving the roads.
5.) State legislators shake a can and ask for change in front of grocery stores like they're little leaguers.
- Pick the 10 most senior legislators as well as all the Governor, speaker of the House and Majority/minority leaders and station them on a rotating schedule every day in front of Stop and Shops, Price Choppers, Big Y and have them beg people coming in and out of grocery stores for their spare change. Everyone who donates get a sticker with a car drawing on it. All revenues will go into the special transportation fund.
Check out all this $$ we have for our roads now and we didn't need to implement tolls or increase the gas tax.
None of these will generate any significant sustainable source of revenue to support a major transportation improvement program. Governor Lamont’s CT2030 Transportation Plan called for spending $21 billion on improvements. The above won’t get you even half that. Any other ideas? Jay
None of these will generate any significant sustainable source of revenue to support a major transportation improvement program. Governor Lamont’s CT2030 Transportation Plan called for spending $21 billion on improvements. The above won’t get you even half that. Any other ideas? Jay
When are these people gonna learn. Trying to go head to head with a seasoned City Data titan is like me trying to tackle Earl Campbell coming around the corner in the open field. I'm gonna get run over.
I hope one day to see these improvements come to fruition. It needed them in 1995.
For argument's sake of jumping on Team Tolls, I'll need a cut my yearly car property tax bill to I receive every summer to $0 and I can maybe bend on Lamont's most recent toll plan. It's an unconvincing maybe. I need to see that prices for all CT residents will be frozen for 10 years.
In the article.. base charges would be 50 cents or $1 for cars, $1.25 to $2.50 for medium-sized trucks and $3.50 to $7 for heavy trucks, with a 20-percent discount with a Connecticut EZ pass transponder.
Within a 24-hour period, any vehicle equipped with a transponder would not pay more than one round-trip user fee per gantry. Commuters without a transponder will be billed by mail and pay a 25% to 50% higher rate.
With a discount, the car ride from New Haven to Greenwich on I-95 would hit three 40-cent tolls and cost an EZ Pass holder $1.20. A drive between Danbury and Waterbury would hit two tolls and could cost between 80 cents and $1.60.
And these are just starting out prices. You don't think that $1.20 from New Haven to Greenwich will turn into $1.80 in 3 years? Between Waterbury and Danbury the $1.60 won't soon become $2.00? Of course it will.
I'm sorry, but it sucks. It sucks real bad. These numbers add up and it squeezes people who commute to work every day. Especially those who drive longer distances. I commute from Cheshire to Windsor Locks 5 days a week. Close colleagues of mine live in Middlebury and Wallingford. People like us get crushed by tolls.
I'd still vote against anyone who would appear on my next ballot in November if they voted in favor of tolling, however and I believe many other "swing" voters in CT would do the same.
Last edited by RoundTableKnight; 11-23-2020 at 07:33 AM..
Then please tell me how you want to pay for the desperately needed transportation improvements. The current gas tax is inadequate and unsustainable. What would you do? Raise the gas tax? Raise the sales tax? Something has to give. Jay
For the umpteenth time -- become more friendly to businesses, which means reduce taxation AND compliance costs, aka -- administration burden. Become competitive to attract business, expand those already here, or cancel plans for those planning to move out.
That will increase revenues a lot. That will increase jobs, which will also reduce spending for social programs, aka welfare.
But, but, but, but -- you can't. Because CT politicians have stuck this state in a checkmate.
Second phase -- privatize public transportation, aka follow Japan's model. Increase competition.
We experimented with state-owned public transportation -- this model is not sustainable. We humans self-reflect, understand our previous errors, and change course. 100 years in history is nothing. We have to think about the next 100 years or even longer. Which is still a blip.
Can you tell me that current model is going to last another 100 years? It may, but at a lot higher cost for lower quality.
Look at MTA -- it lost money even in the best of times. Imagine now!!! And we will get many more troubles.
Last edited by Henry10; 11-23-2020 at 08:44 AM..
Reason: Paragraph spacing
For argument's sake of jumping on Team Tolls, I'll need a cut my yearly car property tax bill to I receive every summer to $0 and I can maybe bend on Lamont's most recent toll plan. It's an unconvincing maybe. I need to see that prices for all CT residents will be frozen for 10 years.
In the article.. base charges would be 50 cents or $1 for cars, $1.25 to $2.50 for medium-sized trucks and $3.50 to $7 for heavy trucks, with a 20-percent discount with a Connecticut EZ pass transponder.
Within a 24-hour period, any vehicle equipped with a transponder would not pay more than one round-trip user fee per gantry. Commuters without a transponder will be billed by mail and pay a 25% to 50% higher rate.
With a discount, the car ride from New Haven to Greenwich on I-95 would hit three 40-cent tolls and cost an EZ Pass holder $1.20. A drive between Danbury and Waterbury would hit two tolls and could cost between 80 cents and $1.60.
And these are just starting out prices. You don't think that $1.20 from New Haven to Greenwich will turn into $1.80 in 3 years? Between Waterbury and Danbury the $1.60 won't soon become $2.00? Of course it will.
I'm sorry, but it sucks. It sucks real bad. These numbers add up and it squeezes people who commute to work every day. Especially those who drive longer distances. I commute from Cheshire to Windsor Locks 5 days a week. Close colleagues of mine live in Middlebury and Wallingford. People like us get crushed by tolls.
I'd still vote against anyone who would appear on my next ballot in November if they voted in favor of tolling, however and I believe many other "swing" voters in CT would do the same.
I doubt you will see an elimination of the car tax. That money goes to towns for maintenance of their roads. You might see a lowering of the tax. I will remind you that we have a cap on the mill rate that can be charged for vehicles.
Also note that raising toll rates will not be as easy as you say. Toll rates would be established by legislation. To change them would require an approval of both the State House and State Senate and then signed off by the Governor. It would be a very public process so it’s unlikely raising them would happen so soon after implementation.
That said, you still aren’t solving the problem. This has been going on for decades now and our transportation infrastructure is just getting worse. The thing is we are losing hundreds of millions of dollars because we let out of state drivers use our roads for free. Federal law prevents us from putting up tolls just for out of state drivers. We can however charge state residents a lower toll rate and we could lower the gas tax. It’s something that would have to be worked out but you can’t do that when people refuse to even consider tolls. Jay
For the umpteenth time -- become more friendly to businesses, which means reduce taxation AND compliance costs, aka -- administration burden. Become competitive to attract business, expand those already here, or cancel plans for those planning to move out.
That will increase revenues a lot. That will increase jobs, which will also reduce spending for social programs, aka welfare.
But, but, but, but -- you can't. Because CT politicians have stuck this state in a checkmate.
Second phase -- privatize public transportation, aka follow Japan's model. Increase competition.
We experimented with state-owned public transportation -- this model is not sustainable. We humans self-reflect, understand our previous errors, and change course. 100 years in history is nothing. We have to think about the next 100 years or even longer. Which is still a blip.
Can you tell me that current model is going to last another 100 years? It may, but at a lot higher cost for lower quality.
Look at MTA -- it lost money even in the best of times. Imagine now!!! And we will get many more troubles.
Our country has looked at privatizing highways in the past but it has had limited success. What was found was that it is too expensive, certainly more than what we pay now. That is because not only do we have to pay for the construction of the facility but we have to give the private owner a profit on top of that. Privatizing also means tolls and as you see that is not popular.
Mass transit is even worse. Remember up until several decades ago trains and local buses were privately owned. Those failed, forcing the government to take them over. The costs involved just are not sustainable.
The current model could be sustainable but that would require raising the gas tax. The federal and Connecticut gas taxes have not been raised in about two decades. As you can imagine, with inflation, what those taxes bought in transportation back then are no where near what it buys today. Still there is a political opposition to raising the gas taxes to be close to what they were back then. Sadly it’s pretty much a non starter. Jay
Our country has looked at privatizing highways in the past but it has had limited success. What was found was that it is too expensive, certainly more than what we pay now. That is because not only do we have to pay for the construction of the facility but we have to give the private owner a profit on top of that. Privatizing also means tolls and as you see that is not popular.
Mass transit is even worse. Remember up until several decades ago trains and local buses were privately owned. Those failed, forcing the government to take them over. The costs involved just are not sustainable.
The current model could be sustainable but that would require raising the gas tax. The federal and Connecticut gas taxes have not been raised in about two decades. As you can imagine, with inflation, what those taxes bought in transportation back then are no where near what it buys today. Still there is a political opposition to raising the gas taxes to be close to what they were back then. Sadly it’s pretty much a non starter. Jay
Govt taking over public transportation — that’s not working. Besides, how do other developed countries develop better public transp than us? Govt doesnt run most trains in Europe or Japan.
We ourselves privatized airlines. Govt kept control over the Control Towers but travel lines are private. Air travel has decreased cost tremendously and become available even to the under-privileged and marginalized (borrowing terms from the Left.)
So let’s re-imagine public transportation. Comparatively to other countries, Govt’s record of running trains and buses is pretty bad. We tried that and Govt failed on that enterprise. How many bites at the cherry does it need?
Govt taking over public transportation — that’s not working. Besides, how do other developed countries develop better public transp than us? Govt doesnt run most trains in Europe or Japan.
We ourselves privatized airlines. Govt kept control over the Control Towers but travel lines are private. Air travel has decreased cost tremendously and become available even to the under-privileged and marginalized (borrowing terms from the Left.)
So let’s re-imagine public transportation. Comparatively to other countries, Govt’s record of running trains and buses is pretty bad. We tried that and Govt failed on that enterprise. How many bites at the cherry does it need?
Didn’t Britain’s rail privatization model recently fail? I could be misremembering. Although I generally do not believe privatization or the “free market” solve all the problems some claim, I do think a private-public partnership could improve our rail system
Govt taking over public transportation — that’s not working. Besides, how do other developed countries develop better public transp than us? Govt doesnt run most trains in Europe or Japan.
We ourselves privatized airlines. Govt kept control over the Control Towers but travel lines are private. Air travel has decreased cost tremendously and become available even to the under-privileged and marginalized (borrowing terms from the Left.)
So let’s re-imagine public transportation. Comparatively to other countries, Govt’s record of running trains and buses is pretty bad. We tried that and Govt failed on that enterprise. How many bites at the cherry does it need?
Other nations do have privatized public transportation but they subsidize them heavily. Would it be better for private companies to run them with subsidies? I'm guessing the government would have to pay more than it is now.
As for the air travel, the US didn't privatize the airlines. They were deregulated in the 1970's leading to lower fares, higher travel, worsening service, and regular bankruptcy proceedings.
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