General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: What's wrong with America: 'Why should I pay a toll for someone else's bridge?' [View all]TheMadMonk
(6,187 posts)...in reverse.
Tolls ARE levied ONLY on those who physically pass from one end of the road or bridge to the other. Yet the entire community and even people a thouand miles or more away benefit.
Somone mentioned community down a ways. Tolls DIVIDE communities one from another.
Tolls don't simply pay for the road or bridge and go away, they're payments to a private equity or publically listed company which expects not only a return on their investment, but profit in perpetuity.
Tolls are privatised tax collection. Even tolls on 100% publically funded roads, since the actual collection process is generally contracted out to a third party.
Road, bridges, ALL commons infrastructure (and I would include power lines, water, gas, sewer, even telephone lines, etc) should be publically funded through taxes levied as broadly as possible. IF there's profit to be made, then it should be made on services utilising those conduits, not the conduits themselves.