Quote:
Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
If you think that there are externalities not captured in the cost of gasoline, then even relatively efficient users, like mass transit, should pay more.
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I don't know --- it sounds like robbing Peter to pay Peter. Presumably, public transit would have a political incentive to be the best stewards of public resources like budgeted expenses and the environment. We don't allow punitive damages against public entities or allow them to be sued for discretionary acts because the legal system, like a tax-implemented policy, is a machete where a scalpel might suffice.
If a consumption tax on transit simply raises the cost of moving person A from point B to point C, it's going to be passed through to the end user because nearly every transit system is expected to make up almost 100% of operation costs from fares. So you're gonna be raising fares on a guy who doesn't really have a practical say in whether his train is diesel-electric, or just electric.
