since when is logic and/or fairness a part of a states revenue enhancement activities

Sometimes I wonder about politicians.

Actually, I wonder about politicians all the time.

New Yoek stopped charging the $1 a month surcharge recently. You do, however, have to maintain a minumum balance of somewhere around $25 on the pass though.

“Governments figure how money money they’ll need for a given budget period, and then decide how they’ll raise the money to obtain it.”

I’m pretty sure that’s what non-profits do too.

Here in Texas, it’s free for an EZTag (it’s a sticker with a chip in it). Just have to have an account where you have to maintain a minimum balance. You save $.25 when you go through a major toll booth. In Houston, they’ve even hooked it up to airport parking. You go through the booths if you have an eztag and it automatically emails you a receipt.

Ok… after travelling through DC I realized that you and I probably pay for dirty politicians daily tolls. I mean we gave them that big ass center lane on 95, why not pay their tolls too, right?

So roughly $20 bucks (low estimate) to and from work per politician equals how many hundreds of millions of wasted tax dollars??? I’m no mathmatician, but it sounds kinda like an Obama “tax cut” if you know what I’m sayin…

The Toll Roads in California have been charging $1.00 a month for the transponder, plus you reach a $10 minimum they “recharge” your account up to a $30.00 balance.

While this post mentions that electronic toll collection is a benefit for both sides, it ignores the largest benefit to the state. Becauase most states require you to maintain a minimum balance on the account, they gain sigificant profits from the interest on all of that stored value. Charging for the service may decrease overall participation, costing them their biggest earning potential.

As noted, EZPass issued by New Jersey charges $1 a month; at least seven of the managing agencies in the EZ-Pass system charge some sort of fee, so this is nothing new. In many instances, the fee is offset by discounts, sometime significant, on the actual toll paid. In New York City, there are significant discounts for all bridge and tunnel tolls, for example (plus you can pay for parking at area airports with the EZ-Pass tag).

But Mike should post some evidence that these systems “Save tons of money” for the toll system. They can actually cost a lot of money to implement to start, and the jobs of toll-booth personnel that might be lost are likely made up with back-office staff at the managing agencies.

To take just one agency, the NY Thruway Administration, E-ZPass account management costs about $24 million annually, and administration fees are only $1.5 million (E-ZPass violations are, interestingly, $3 million). So you can’t just dismiss or discount the costs of administering the system.

Let’s not make too big a deal of this.

Haven’t banks been doing this for years with debit cards?
Write a check at the store and they won’t charge for it.
Even though there’s more handling of the check cashing process. Use you debit card because it’s convenient and bang, you get hit with a $2.00 POS charge.

Surface roads FTW

Kansas actually has options for it’s K-Tag
1) No fee for the tag, $1 per month service fee, save 10% on tolls
2) No fee for the tag, $5 per year service fee
3) Pay for the tag, but no service fee

I don’t have one myself since I don’t travel the turnpike enough, but it’s always better to have options.

Ontario charges a service fee for using their self-serve kiosks they have in malls (for renewing license plates, for example). Would they rather we go the expensive route of going to a teller? I never understood this.

I, too, just applied for EZ Pass from the Peace Bridge Authority. I will be confirming they work tomorrow, and will then return my Maryland devices to avoid this BS tax.