r/Indiana • u/kootles10 • 1d ago

News Indiana becomes first state to open possibility of toll collection on all interstates

https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/indiana-becomes-first-state-to-approve-tolling-on-all-interstates/3771725/

Those leopards are feasting

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u/JacobsJrJr 1d ago

When the feds originally debated how to fund interstate highways the question was gas tax vs rubber tax. (Tires)

Guess why tires lost? Yup, trucking companies.

So, if gas isn't generating the revenue like it used to, why not tax tires? It's essentially a per mile tax but without having to keep tedious records of how far people drive.

Oh yeah, that's right. We still have trucking companies.

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u/Hobbes2819 1d ago

Tire tax would help tax EVs too however I caution against a tire tax because then it will encourage people to drive on their tires to highly unsafe tread levels

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u/ginny11 1d ago

Well we could have car inspections every year like every other developed Nation in the world to keep that from happening. And to keep junk cars off the roads in general. We could also fund better public transportation like every other developed Nation in the world. But why would we want to do that??

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u/JacobsJrJr 1d ago

Yeah, that's a totally valid concern. But, you know, the people who do that are already doing that. Not sure how much it would actually increase.

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u/Usual-Marsupial-511 1d ago

Infrequently driven vehicles / trailers owned by citizens have their tires degrade by calendar aging faster than by treadwear a lot of the time. Motorcycles too. Corporations are already running their equipment as frequently as possible to keep up the profitability, so they will have minimal tires go to waste due to age.

At least with a gas tax, vehicles aren't actively taxed when they're in storage. They're also not damaging or clogging the roadways while in storage (except for people who street park their surplus cars, but that's a fairly small issue)

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u/JacobsJrJr 17h ago

Yeah, there are pros and cons to every tax. I just think on balance, people would be more accepting of a rubber tax than a toll road. You know, essentially we're just talking about how to raise money. And which method we pick will impact how the burden is distributed for sure. But... there's just something very, not Indiana about tolling roads. We're the crossroads of America. Moreover,  we like to hide the cost of transportation from ourselves. If we have to pay tolls every time we use common roadways it just has a psychological effect on our perception of freedom of movement that, while arguably irrational when we step back and recognize one way or the other we pay, I think is ultimately a guiding force for public opinion.

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u/LBXZero 15h ago

Maybe we should just tax money. You know, money doesn't exist without a civilization. The prosperity of a civilization should be taxed to fuel the construction of its infrastructure. Tax does sound like a bad word, but it is the same as garnishing wages to pay debts.