A great article from the Grist, the highlight:
…
It’s a huge and
incredibly wonky document. But one part of it jumps right out. In it, Litman
takes on people who object to paying higher gas taxes, tolls, or parking fees (emphasis mine):
Critics are wrong to claim that raising
road tolls, parking fees or fuel taxes is unfair. Does charging admission at movie theatres constitute a “war
on film viewers”? Does charging for bread constitute a “war on eaters?” Motor
vehicle user fees only finance about half of roadway costs and a much smaller
portion of parking facility costs; the rest is financed indirectly through
general taxes (for local roads), higher retail prices (for business parking),
lower wages (for employee parking), and higher housing costs (for residential
parking) (Litman 2009; Subsidy Scope 2009). This funding structure forces
people who drive less than average to subsidize their neighbors who drive more
than average. Automobile travel also imposes other external costs, including
congestion delays, accident risk, pollution emissions, and various economic and
environmental costs from fuel consumption. North American fuel taxes are among
the lowest among developed countries and have not been raised to account for
inflation during the last two decades. These low user fees exacerbate traffic
and parking congestions. The pricing reforms that critics call “anti-car” are
often the most effective way to address the problems motorists face.
The truth is, as Litman points out, that
no one is calling for an obliteration of cars from the American landscape. Reform
advocates instead want policies that give more people more choice — which
might be nice, considering the way gas prices are going.
…
https://www.grist.org/article/2011-03-23-the-latest-battle-in-the-non-existent-war-on-carsoldId.20110324095938152