2008 Woodie Awards
Inflated tolls stifle mobilization
Issue date: 6/26/08 Section: Opinions
Baptiste references other revenue choices such as car rental taxes, car sales taxes and tourist taxes, all of which she notes "… have virtually no new or increased collection costs associated to them because they use the existing tax collection methods."
We believe the only authority that should be dictating toll rate taxation is the people it will directly affect: The commuters, the people who depend on the interstate to get from point A to point B most resourcefully.
Reportedly, about 200,000 cars a day travel through Orlando on I-4, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Therefore, the interstate serves a dual purpose, one of necessity and one of convenience. If an inflated toll were to be added, it would only inconvenience drivers who have no alternative route with equal benefits to transport themselves. Now is not the time to launch a blow to an already unpromising economy. Rather, now is the time to fuel the economy, ensuring that the people whom we depend on for the business industry to flourish have a smooth transit, independent of monetary misfortune.
As a regressive tax, the toll tax would specifically impact the lower and middle class by siphoning their disposable income and using it to compensate for inflation. By taxing tourists, who make up 30 percent of the 200,000 drivers on I-4 daily, according to the Orlando Sentinel, the Department of Transportation could accumulate enough money to cover the cost of $6 billion in Central Florida road improvements.
If there must be taxation, then it should be progressive, not regressive. Change is inevitable and with growth comes responsibility. However, that responsibility should not interfere with the fluency of everyday life. Instead, it should behave as the catalyst for reform and aid progression in terms of transportation and development.
Transportation has become essential in an ever-expanding city such as Orlando and the implementation of toll rates only punishes those who are victims of inflation. It is time we all merge into the express lane and crusade our city streets, without breaking for tolls throughout our travel.?
We believe the only authority that should be dictating toll rate taxation is the people it will directly affect: The commuters, the people who depend on the interstate to get from point A to point B most resourcefully.
Reportedly, about 200,000 cars a day travel through Orlando on I-4, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Therefore, the interstate serves a dual purpose, one of necessity and one of convenience. If an inflated toll were to be added, it would only inconvenience drivers who have no alternative route with equal benefits to transport themselves. Now is not the time to launch a blow to an already unpromising economy. Rather, now is the time to fuel the economy, ensuring that the people whom we depend on for the business industry to flourish have a smooth transit, independent of monetary misfortune.
As a regressive tax, the toll tax would specifically impact the lower and middle class by siphoning their disposable income and using it to compensate for inflation. By taxing tourists, who make up 30 percent of the 200,000 drivers on I-4 daily, according to the Orlando Sentinel, the Department of Transportation could accumulate enough money to cover the cost of $6 billion in Central Florida road improvements.
If there must be taxation, then it should be progressive, not regressive. Change is inevitable and with growth comes responsibility. However, that responsibility should not interfere with the fluency of everyday life. Instead, it should behave as the catalyst for reform and aid progression in terms of transportation and development.
Transportation has become essential in an ever-expanding city such as Orlando and the implementation of toll rates only punishes those who are victims of inflation. It is time we all merge into the express lane and crusade our city streets, without breaking for tolls throughout our travel.?