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Comment by The_President | Hacker News Reader

The fastest highway in the United States is the 85 mph controlled access public-private venture toll road east of Austin. State income tax is not a thing in Texas, and that road would have otherwise not been completed at the price or schedule it was built on without the backing of the private company that built it.

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Why would you tax people's income to pay for a highway? Fuel taxes and license fees would normally be the way to pay for transportation infrastructure.

It works well in many (most I know) countries: is fuel+license more common than general (income and fuel and other) taxation ('normally' would imply most do like you say?).

If you use income taxes, then people who drive less are subsidizing people who drive more. It's bad incentives.

But that does not make it 'normally'; where does it work that way vs income(and other) taxes? Where I live and all countries around, roads are paid from general taxes (including income, road and fuel taxes).

Because that doesn't get nearly close enough to the cost of roads. Interstates alone have, I believe, cost us over 25 trillion. Just interstates, not all highways.

That number seems very unlikely to be accurate. It's more than 2x larger than all local, state, and federal government spending in 2025 combined.

No that's the actual figure since the 60s when they were built. I'm cheating a little, that's not a per year number.

Well ice cars are going to be declining in market share so we will need to implement an electric car tax to offset the cost.

I'm not sure what your point is, can you explain?

I think the point is that in this case, the choice is between the infrastructure being pay-to-use or just not existing, not between the infrastructure being free and being pay-to-use

That was my suspicion, but I'm not sure. Obviously, they have other valid options. Raise taxes. Have the state borrow, build, and operate the road as a toll road at cost, etc.

Sure. I think the point is that in Texas, those are valid but not viable due to politics.

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