Financing Roadways

OPTIONS for FINANCING the BUILDING & MAINTENANCE of ROADWAYS

a. Implement a small business tax [half penny] for roadways.

b. Develop new State Lotteries; 60 percent of revenue from a new Transportation lottery could go to building and maintaining roadways. When our nation was first founded our forefathers developed lotteries in all states; many of our first universities were started with lotteries, e.g., Harvard, and buying tickets was a civic duty. Also reduce the odds of winning the lottery. This will double the net revenue previously taken from the Lottery to finance schools — states need to stop being greedy for taxing one winner;

c. Increase the sales tax [half penny] to finance public schools;

d. Sales and services fee paid by customers [half cent];

e. Trim state budget fat and provide a percentage of the savings to roadways;

f. Unfreeze the gas tax index for inflation and cost-of-living adjustments;

g. Increase the tax [half cent] on the purchase of ALL liquor and tobacco products, which will go to roadways;

h. Raise the tax on gasoline 1 cent and provide the legislation for this increased money to go to roadways;

i. Take a small fee [1 cent] from monthly charges by rental properties and apartment complexes to go directly to roadways;

j. Establish a Visitor Transportation Fund whereby all hotels and rental car companies charge a service fee [2 cents] that goes to roadways;

k. Establish an Airport Transportation Fund whereby the cost of flight tickets includes a 1 cent service fee that goes to finance roadways;

l. Stop the diversion of gas tax revenues to interests other than roadways;

m. Increase slightly [half cent] the sales tax on luxury vehicles and boats.

Using several of the above methods together will ensure new sources of financing for building and maintaining our roadways that is shared by a full range of Texas citizens and businesses as a more “across-the-board” methodology.