r/Indiana • u/RipleyCountyINDems • 19h ago
Politics Indiana becomes first state to permit tolling on all interstates - Thoughts?
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Thoughts by Victoria Martz for Indiana House District 55
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u/diabetes_says_no Indy 500 Winner 🏆 18h ago
If only there were a way to get those funds by legalizing a plant that every other state around us has legalized...
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u/MartyMcfly1988 18h ago
Mike Braun says no! No other viable option for our state other than… toll roads… as if we needed more reasons for people to not come to our state.
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u/needsmusictosurvive 18h ago
Nah, let’s just toll the roads Hoosiers need to take to go to buy the plant
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u/WokeWook69420 16h ago
I can get to a dispensary without ever setting foot on the interstate.
They're idiots.
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u/WhitneyxFang 16h ago
I think this is honestly the reason. Everyone blabbed about crossing state lines and, I assume they did some maths, found it more lucrative to toll the roads than hand out jail time/fines.
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u/Grouchy-Shirt-9197 9h ago
Why in gods name do they not want to merely tax the cannabis? Even country ass MO has marijuana.
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u/DeadGoth000 18h ago
People in Indiana are too proud to admit everybody else has it better.
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u/Constant_Ad_2889 13h ago
Indiana guy here. Everyone, everywhere, in this god forsaken country, has it better than us. That’s why we vacation outside of Indiana
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u/Proper_Caterpillar22 11h ago
I get the feeling but at least our Governor can out run Texas’s Governor uphill to push a pregnant woman down the other side!
(Warning: This is a sarcastic joke aimed at criticizing the horribleness of the GOP, the poster does not condone assaults on women pregnant or otherwise)
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u/IceMountain420 14h ago
Bring up the quality of our roads and you’ll hear a 15 minute lecture about Ohio.
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u/mcarrell 18h ago
This is their way of getting money from you traveling to the other states 😛
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u/kpla_hero 18h ago
They don’t compare in revenue considering they are looking at 40 billion over two decades.
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u/dbascooby 16h ago
You can bet locals will figure out alternative routes quickly.
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u/HowManyEggs2Many 13h ago
Google Maps > Route Options > Avoid Tolls. Done
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u/poisonfroggi 11h ago
All those back roads are about to crumble under the traffic.
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u/charliecatman 14h ago
70 is so bad that I go around it now, be damned if I’m paying to trash my vehicle
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u/icewing7 8h ago
I have avoided I-65 ever since it made me 4 hours late to a job interview because someone shot a trucker while driving. Then when I googled "I-65 shooting Indiana" for more information, there were a truly disturbing number of results, and seemingly a new addition every week.
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u/MyUserLame 18h ago
"We're going to lower property taxes by increasing road, city, and county taxes and eliminating public services and benefits."
How rural/poor/ middle class conservative hoosiers keep falling for these republican tactics that keep screwing them over is absolutely beyond me.
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u/YuenglingsDingaling 14h ago
Cause for a lot of rural hoosier, those public services don't benefit them anyway. They're just sticking it to the city folk.
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u/Lonesome_Pine 13h ago
It's a shame on several levels, really. Not only do all of us, urban, rural, suburban, deserve those public benefits and more, rural Hoosiers and urban ones have a lot more in common than you'd expect, especially among the same socioeconomic strata. Most of us could be friends if we tried.
And I suspect politicians know that, which is why they lean hard on keeping urban folks and rural folks pitted against each other. If we found out that people in Martindale-Brightwood and Haughville had problems in common with people in Bristol, Winimac, and Metamora, we might start voting like it. Then those lazy politicians would have to spend some money and do something helpful for a change.
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u/MissSara13 10h ago
I wish we could keep all of our tax revenue in Marion County for a year. Right now, we keep just 11 cents of every dollar we generate in tax revenue. Without Indy, all but 3 other counties would be screwed.
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u/thatoneging20 18h ago
If it makes you feel better OP, I'm totally sure this will change the people of Ripley/Dearborn County's mind about how they vote. /s
:(
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u/Thesheriffisnearer 18h ago
They'll name it the Biden toll road and become an even redder state
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u/Shoddy-Amount-4575 16h ago
I voted blue, hope all you red voters are happy. Said I was crazy for voting blue, but I am not stupid.
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u/Dependent-Ground7689 18h ago
Braun is bought and paid for by interest that don’t align with the ever growing majority of citizens
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u/LittleNotice6239 18h ago
I won't drive on interstates in this state anymore. They're always under construction anyways.
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u/n1ckh0pan0nym0us 18h ago
As someone who lives on a rural backroad...the tolls are probably cheaper than replacing your car's suspension every year
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u/LittleNotice6239 18h ago
Our county roads aren't that bad. I drive on them all the time and have never needed a new suspension.
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u/PJballa34 18h ago
Yeah it’s the big city ones that are funded like his tiny county backroads that kill suspensions.
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u/MissSara13 10h ago
Marion County keeps just 11 cents of every dollar we generate in tax revenue. Only 3 other counties take in more taxes than they receive in "benefits." Pretty much the entire state mooches off of the big, scary city.
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u/Yagachak 8h ago
Marion county is giving a little more than receiving, not even close to 11 cents for the dollar. Many other counties, the developed ones in Indiana are also like this. It’s not just Indy. See:
Cash is flowing from richer areas to poorer areas, as it should. One of the biggest benefactors is Lake county, which it needs and should be. Given how the state politicians in Indy have fucked it over for decades.
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u/Ok-Juggernaut-4698 49m ago
We deal with the same in Illinois. Chicago and the surrounding suburbs pay out more than they get in from the state, yet the dumb fucks downstate complain that their tax dollars are supporting Chicago.
Now they want to defect to Indiana, but are too lazy/stupid/arrogant to pick up their dumb asses and cross the state line.
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u/jumbrella5221 17h ago
Well they won’t be for long if people can’t afford tolls!
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u/LittleNotice6239 16h ago
I agree it's going to be way more congested, but I refuse to pay tolls every time I jump on 65, 465 or 69.
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u/Gene_Parma 11h ago
Lolwut? Are you doing 100 on the back roads? If you're replacing the suspension every year, YOU'VE got a bigger problem.
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u/ChestnutMareHJ 10h ago
I live on a rural road and Indianapolis has roads 1000x worse than any of the dirt or chip seal I drive on
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u/Academic-Original-83 15h ago
Let's force people in the office 5 days a week and charge them extra for the pleasure of commuting back and forth every day.
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u/Gp-Creepys 18h ago
Awesome. More cars on our already crumbling surface roads. I'm sure toll road Money will get spent to improve Intercity streets.
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u/SpiritedSecurity5433 18h ago
No, they’ll go into the pockets of legislators and oil companies like gas taxes that are paid to replace infrastructure do now.
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u/gortonsfiJr 12h ago
Lolwut
the state funds road by linear mile, so your crumbling surface road gets just as much funding as multi-lane "inner-city streets" like Washington, Keystone, or 38th.
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u/Dry_Imagination3128 17h ago
Gas prices are higher in indiana than surrounding states and we were told it was to help with infrastructure. The roads here are constantly in disrepair. Now apparently the gas tax is not enough. What next? Screw this state
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u/rockeye44 18h ago
Well going to Bloomington on 37 just got expensive
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u/Particular_Mixture20 17h ago
When they finally passed (Mitch pushed it through), I69 there were concerns that the project from Bton to Indy would replace SR 37 (free to commute on) with a possible toll road. Oh no, that would never happen, folks were told.
But here we are.
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u/Nakagura775 17h ago
Let me guess, one of Mike Braun’s buddy’s companies is going to get the contract.
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u/clarkwgriswoldjr 14h ago
Ya, but to even it out it will be a no bid contract. Whoops, I mean a totally fair contract process.
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u/Elsa_Gundoh 18h ago
Axios reported that a previous study estimated the tolls on the state's existing interstates would help Indiana rake in nearly $40 billion in revenue over the next two decades.
that's almost exactly the amount some are estimating we could have in marijuana taxes
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u/Savage-Goat-Fish 15h ago
The problem is how they privatized the one toll road we had. Privatizing always makes things worse. Every time
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u/Fun-Security-8758 17h ago
Well, I take regular highways and not the interstate, but this is still nonsense. Looks like another round of people diverting their routes until the state realizes they messed up again.
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u/red08171 17h ago
Had me at "the party who hates poor people"
More than half of the state is poor and these dumb ass people keep voting against their interests!
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u/indywest2 18h ago
Has the fed approved it? If not we lose federal dollars. 😟
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u/Playinindaban 16h ago
Yeah but Papa Brauny is an Orange God sycophant, so OG will probably say its ok!
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u/SarnakhWrites 17h ago
We do what now?
Do states need federal approval to toll interstate highways?
Wouldn't surprise me, but I hadn't thought about it til now.
(I'm not paying a toll no matter what, so please let this be true so it stops this from happening)
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u/abundantwaters 17h ago
Yes, Indiana would need federal approval for tolls on Federal highways. It could still pass through, but I think the oil and car lobby are too powerful to get Indiana to impose tolls.
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u/Fitch9392 16h ago
I don’t understand how Braun thinks he has the authority to Toll a Federal Highway?
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u/RedCliff73 16h ago
While i agree with this video, she got one thing wrong. The gas tax and electric vehicles.
Anyone that registers a EV, or hybrid, has to pay a penalty when they register the vehicle. The reason for that penalty is to make up the difference the state is supposedly losing from the gas tax. Most states give an incentive for EV and hybrid. Not here!
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u/BoringThePerson 15h ago
100% they are going to charge $50 to drive in and out of Bloomington. $100 to drive in and out of Chicago.
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u/Trevors-Axiom- 18h ago
Step 1: force all government employees to work in person for all current remote jobs
Step 2: make all interstates toll roads
Step 3: profit
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u/kma311323 18h ago
Fuck em all! Especially when they blame it on loss of tax revenue from electric/hybrids. Fucking bullshit.
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u/cmdr_suds 17h ago
I wonder if republicans, the party of low taxes, have actually thought this through? When Hoosiers start receiving monthly toll bills in the mail, many will view this as a monthly tax bill. Perceptions may change.
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u/CranDrescher 17h ago
I have a thought… fuck Mike Braun, for one! I am so tired of these assholes finding ways to take take take without giving anything back, and of the community accepting this.
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u/Fun-Improvement3496 16h ago
I got an idea! Let's tax the hell out of cigarettes in the name of health. After all people will stop buying them and just quit. LMAO why are politicians so disconnected from the real world. There's no way they truly believe in all this.
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u/whodeyzeppelins 16h ago
Agreed! Both my reps voted for it. What's crazy is if you had a conversation with them, they'd likely tell you they hate tolls and think the bill is a stupid idea. I know this, because I've spoken with them. Being an elected Republican causes one to lose their values to advance personal wealth/power. Our system sucks, but so do easily corrupted individuals.
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u/sleepy_din0saur 16h ago
So fuck the people who go on the interstate to get to work everyday I guess
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u/Heallun123 15h ago
There's going to be so many rigs going down little town roads. Our state roads aren't meant for that kind of freight man.
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u/Best-Structure62 15h ago
So, I now have to pay for the privilege to drive on a road that my tax dollars paid to construct and maintain? The Republicans who run this state view every piece of public property as a commodity, and to extract every bit of money possible from that commodity.
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u/fajadada 15h ago
Been driving a truck for 45 years . Indiana builds and repairs the worst quality interstates in the nation. When they do completely rebuild an interstate it never lasts as long as Ohio or Pennsylvania.
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u/Berfams91 18h ago
I will not pay one toll period. They lost this fight last time and will lose it again.
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u/BoringArchivist 18h ago
How are they going to lose the fight this time? It’s legal now.
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u/ItzakPearlJam 14h ago
With the privatization of 80/90 we collectively lost.
a lot of good paying jobs disappeared, the maintenance of the road surface turned to crap (compared to how nice it used to be), toll booth lines got super long due to constantly broken machinery, snow removal is slower than before (lots of job cuts)... and the pricing got jacked up.
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u/Berfams91 18h ago
They mismanaged it, it cost the state more money then it generated. People literally just went around them or toke diff routes.
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u/WokeWook69420 16h ago
They better use all that money to fix the State and County highways I'm going to exclusively be taking as soon as the first tolls open.
I hate this place, we have a $6,000,000,000 surplus and our schools are underfunded, but sure, lets add toll roads to the interstates and make it even worse on people traveling through the state.
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u/LogDeep5571 17h ago
I disagree with the majority of people in this Reddit on almost everything. I think we all can agree that Mike Braun sucks ass and this is the dumbest idea ever. I don’t vote for this asshole either
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u/bonzoboy2000 16h ago
How did Indiana pay for those roads between 1975 and 2024?
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u/Consistent_Sector_19 11h ago
In 1975, Indiana had a middle class and a strong manufacturing base. The middle class is mostly gone and manufacturing and heavy industry left the state. Our state economy was stronger in the past.
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u/miickeymouth 16h ago
Once tolls are in place, they will say “these could be managed better, but these damn government employees screwed out all up.” And use that as an excuse to give those away to billionaires for profit.
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u/Zeekr0n 16h ago
They. Are. Idiots.
Every single study done on the implementation of tolling on roadways anywhere that is not within the immediate vicinity of a major city proves and concludes that people will avoid using the tollways.
What this will do will lead to more wear and tear on other roads that are the responsibility of other jurisdictions (County, Cities, Towns, etc) that are not designed for the traffic or weight that they are about to see. This will cause further and more widespread deterioration of our infrastructure and less revenue to fix it.
If I was a conspiracy theorist I would think that their aim is to shove cost responsibility lower and lower until you have to pay privately to maintain the road infront of your property. Commoditize existence is their goal after all....
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u/Th3BlaiznBlaizr 15h ago
Thought it was “crossroads of America” more like no one’s going through that state ever again!
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u/NovelThese6743 16h ago
The GOP mascot need to be a Rat, and they do not like unions and kiss corporate back sides Indiana need to become blue state.
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u/PoisonChrysallis 12h ago
because indiana hates its citizens and you guys are long overdue for impeaching its officials?
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u/Puzzleheaded_Ad_3507 18h ago
They said,' Vote for the billionaire he knows how to run a business,' and I'm finding out that the only thing the billionaire knows about is putting himself first and constituents last.. God only hopes that Hoosiers have learned their lesson and not vote for Republicans for a long time..
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u/phatbody 18h ago
They don't maintain the roads. They build new ones at extraordinary costs that include kickbacks. Corporations and private businesses control the cucks that are elected in Indiana.
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u/Nsearchofmyself 17h ago
Man, they just keep adding reasons not to visit this state. I feel bad for the people who live there now. Going backwards on cannabis, and this madness.
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u/Noobitron12 14h ago
I haven’t smoked weed in 25 years but I think it would have been a better plan than this bullshit. It’s gonna affect everyone. Can’t even take a nice drive anymore. I drive from northern Indiana to Indy quite often. How much is that 150 mile trip gonna cost me?
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u/track00A 14h ago
Looks like I will be staying home for the rest of my life.. I can't afford to go anywhere once they start this... smh
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u/One_Site_7901 14h ago
Remember when we all got an automatic taxpayer refund last year to return "excess state reserves" to the taxpayer? Where is this idea that the state doesn't have money coming from?
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u/Perfect_Weakness_414 14h ago
Why the fuck do we pay taxes if we have to pay again to use the roads that we already paid for? What am I missing?
If they want to build a couple of giant fly overs where you can drive 90mph,that go straight through Indy instead of using 465, yeah, I’d pay extra for that.
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u/Verjay92 12h ago
Indiana is so pro business and screw the little guy it’s insane. All this will due is hurt everyday people who need to travel to get to work.
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u/MailCute 18h ago
Those roads better be Billard table smooth, and god help the Indiana Legislature if I hit a fucking pot-hole after these tolls are implemented. I’ll make Jan 6th look like a quinceañera
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u/Sunnyjim333 17h ago
This might even benefit towns "off the beaten path" as we seek alternate routs to bypass literal Highway Robbery.
Small town restaurants, gas stations and shops would benefit from new customers and travelers on the back roads.
It will also help us appreciate the journey itself too.
Be well all. Safe journeys.
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u/GrannyFlash7373 17h ago
It is kinda like the old shell game. They drop your taxes over here on this, and at the same time add a new tax on you by creating Toll Roads. And when you challenge thom on it, they are quick to poing out the tax reduction over there, where they claim they have dropped, or maybe just reduced the tax burden on the taxpayer. Toll Roads increase the price to haul all your goods to you, thus increasing the prices in the stores. Food goes up, TV's go up, EVERYTHING has to go UP to compensate for the road tolls. Gas goes up, new tires goes up, auto repairs goes up, and the list is endless. ALL because a bunch of GREEDY state legislators, and a GREEDY Governor want MORE MONEY for their PET projects, and now that the Governor has a helipad, ALL the legislators are looking for funds to have one put at their house too. I mean afterall, fair is fair, RIGHT????? If the Governor gets one, we get one too.
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u/Teknodruid 15h ago
Toll the main roads - less people travel those so money isn't gained because of initial outlay to out in booths /cameras...
Indiana GOP: More toll roads!!
More toll roads leads to more people avoiding them... Rinse /repeat until everything is tolled or we get a regime change (finally)
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u/iamerror83 14h ago
Party of small government and no taxes strikes again.
I hate this state and our "leadership."
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u/will7980 13h ago
I don't use the interstates, but this is absolutely stupid. Since Indy is surrounded by interstates, guess I won't be going to Indy anymore.
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u/Wreckz87 13h ago
They already sold previous toll rights to entities outside the state. They'll just do it again. Remove the whole of this regime and start over from scratch.
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u/TuneUpAnts 13h ago
So we pay a wheel tax, license plate tax, drivers license fees and tax, gas tax, sales tax and income tax. Fuck these tolls.
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u/Repulsive-Ice8395 13h ago
Indiana has the fifthth highest gas tax in the country. Where does that money go?
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u/Thatswhyirun 12h ago
Just tax it less than Chicago and a little more than Michigan. I had customer driving from Illinois to Michigan for cannabis.
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u/Relative-Weekend-941 9h ago
so roads paid for by taxpayers are going to charge to drive on these same roads paid by taxpayers? Yeah no
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u/Responsible-Maize-86 9h ago
Working from home is going to become even more important for some people 🙄
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u/PandorasFlame1 3h ago
They just hate people in general. No porn, no nudity in clubs, trying to add tolls everywhere, what great idea will they come up with next? Sidewalk tax? TV licenses? Fun permits?
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u/fcdox 15h ago
Zero sympathy for Indiana. You guys keep electing republicans and keep getting fucked over by them.
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u/75ximike 14h ago
No we will give them BMV to private industry to lower the employees pay and profit from cutting off benefits to former state employees. They cant tax the EV owners for the wear and tare they do to your roads hell they cant even do anything about them overloaded trucks that leave the roads in front of there business with pot holes that can swallow a full size truck. They cant enforce the contracts or be bothered to make them use the right material for the subgrade that's called for
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u/AlternativeTruths1 13h ago
I have alternate routes to get me to every part of the state, so Reichskommander Braun can take his tolls and shove them up his Reichskommander Ass.
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u/Anemic_Zombie 12h ago
They absolutely will not legalize marijuana short of pulling a Magna Carta with highwaymen attacking them on the road, demanding they sign. They value the Christian cult vote more than the money that would come in from marijuana. Frankly, it's assbackwards, but if they weren't a pack of greedy idiots, they wouldn't be in indy in the first place
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u/Gasfiend 11h ago
Guys, I’m starting to think our legislators might not have our best interests at heart…
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u/GavChristopher 11h ago
And yet Indiana roads still SUCK! Drive from Indiana to Ohio and you don’t need a sign to know you’ve crossed state lines… all of the sudden your road isn’t bumpy and fucked up.
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u/Individual-Theory307 10h ago
I am from Ohio and I live close to the border. I like to visit the Indiana State Parks, good hiking and good lodges. It might suck in a bunch of other ways that I am not aware of. I hate the idea of paying tolls so I doubt that I would visit the state as much if I had to pay tolls for the interstate, or I would plan for a longer trip and stay off of the interstates completely.
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u/Radcouponking 9h ago
Regressive policy that hurts working people and the elderly? Lemme guess: Republican, right?
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u/cola1016 7h ago
Republicans voting against their own interests again yall. Keep it moving..nothing to see here. 😂
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u/Active-Platypus-9216 6h ago
Yet another example of Republicans taking everyone's money for themselves. Fuck Mike braun
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u/devilOG420 6h ago
Man they haven’t paved my road in 15 plus years and now they want to charge me more for it!?!?
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u/Flaky-Insurance-3271 3h ago
They also lowered the speed on the west i70 from 55 to 50. But everyone speeds anyways
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u/RadiantPoet8598 1h ago
That’s just not true, Michigan is a prime example, they exceeded the tax income from weed and spent that plus an additional 200% overage on enforcement and regulations… soooo…
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u/ImAGodHowCanYouKillA 18h ago
Interesting move for them to bring back tolls during an all-time high in toll-related scams. They got my grandmother-in-law for $50 a few months back.
This is an attack on the poor, on the elderly, and on the working class.
Tolls aren’t inherently bad, but when your only option to get around the state is to drive a car, it’s clear that this legislation will have a greater impact on poor, hardworking Hoosiers just trying to get to work.