Reason In the News

Tolls,Gas Taxes and Polls in Texas

Austin American-Statesman

January 8, 2012

In the Austin American-Statesman, transportation writer Ben Wear writes:

So, given the choice of a way to pay for more roads, would you go for higher gas taxes or more toll roads?

Texas politicians have been telling us for the past decade that the public prefers toll roads, though the considerable hullabaloo in Central Texas in the middle of last decade when toll road proposals began to sprout like crabgrass here seemed to indicate otherwise. Given that, an increase in the state's long-frozen 20-cents-a-gallon gas tax has gotten zero traction in the Legislature.

An early December national poll from the Reason Foundation would seem to justify that legislative choice.

Wear's full column is here. 

The Reason-Rupe transportation poll is here.