Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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A Case for Spending More by JOHN HOOD Fiscal conservatism comes naturally Carolina's gas tax is relatively high is to me. After all, my middle name is that our property taxes are relatively McDonald. low. In most states, localities play a But I am also persuaded by empirimajor role in highway finance. That's cal evidence that fiscal conservatism is not how North Carolina does it. Our the best policy for promoting economic counties don't build or maintain roads, growth. North Carolina governments for example. If you factor in all taxes can improve and fees desour state's comtined for roads, petitiveness by North Carolina limiting spendranks below the ing, finding ways national average, to deliver core not above it. services more Moreover, risefficiently and ing construction using the resultcosts and greater ing fiscal capacfuel efficiency ity to reduce have eroded the the state's marrelationship beThe vast majority of North Carolinians want new tween highway ginal tax rates on work, savings or less-congested routes for commuting or shop- demand and ping by car. and investment. highway revenue That's not to collected. Here's say there aren't particular programs the bottom line: Over the past 15 years, that wouldn't benefit from a bigger the number of miles traveled on North budget within a context of lower overall Carolina's roads has grown 35 percent. spending. Let me give you an example. Total spending on the road network North Carolina remains a fast-growhas grown, too, but not as much in real ing state with escalating demands for terms. Adjusted for inflation and miles passenger and freight transportation. traveled, North Carolina spent 14 perSystems funded with direct user fees, cent less on roads in 2010 than we did such as airports and freight railroads, in 1995. are responding to the demand with new Some solutions to this problem are capacity. Mass-transit fetishists are better than others. Raising the gas trying to respond with new tax-funded tax would anger motorists and boost rail schemes, but that's not where the revenue at gas stations just across our demand is. The vast majority of North borders. Raising general sales taxes Carolinians want new or less-congested would break the link between highway routes for commuting or shopping by use and revenue altogether, taking us car. They also want their roads kept in in precisely the opposite direction from better repair, thus reducing the wear the way we should go. and tear on their cars as well as the risk There are three solutions that fisof accidents. cal conservatives ought to embrace. Automotive transportation is overFirst, spend existing gas and car taxes whelmingly a private system funded more wisely by setting better statewide by users. Some 80 percent of the cost priorities, as Gov. Pat McCrory has of the system is contained in cars and recently proposed. Second, use deditrucks that are purchased, fueled, cated tolls to fund new high-demand insured and maintained by private capacity along major commuting corhouseholds and businesses. The reridors, such as the new southern loop maining 20 percent consists of roads in Wake County. and bridges that are mostly paid for Finally, end all remaining transfers with dedicated taxes on motor vehicles of highway-related revenues to the and fuel — which are indirect, rough state's General Fund, which amounts approximations of user fees. to slightly more than $200 million a Both Left and Right are prone to year. Most of this amount consists misunderstanding and misstating of gas-tax funding for the Highway these facts when budget time arPatrol, which is a state police force rives. Liberals claim that spending tax and ought to be integrated with other money on roads is not qualitatively law-enforcement programs within the different from spending tax money General Fund, where revenue is rising on transit, the only transportation at current tax rates. mode that really is heavily subsidized We can have better roads, and thus by people who don't use it. And some a healthier economy in North Carolina conservatives, citing the long run, without our state's high gas tax, claim that the raising taxes. highway system must have plenty JOHN HOOD, Columnist COMMENTS? of money already. Editor@upancomingweekly.com. The real reason North WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM presents GYPSY WOMEN'S FUN • GAMES • MUSIC • FOOD • RAFFLES • PRIZES Biggest Biker Benefit of the Year! May 24th, 25th & 26th Don't miss it. Mark your calendars. May 24th • Pre Party Party starts the weekend May 25th • Scott Sather Memorial Poker Run (first bike out at 12 noon) Auction, Raffle & Pig Pickin May 26th • Bike Show and Rodeo Registration begins at noon NGS TO: RED DLY SPONSO HEY! THIS BY PAPER BELO PROU OUR IONAL RES & EDUCAT SPAPER FAMILY NEW OLINA'S FUN NORTH CAR CE • MAR CH 2013 S T ANIMAL ALL ABOU Join us for our biggest benefit of the year in support of an Trum 's Truman mberland .com /cu villenews www.kids Cumberland County's Literacy and Education Program. 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