April 26, 2007

CONGESTION TAX FOR DC?

Mayor Fenty is looking at a congestion tax for DC, says NBC4. The idea is: tax cars coming into the central business district and use the proceeds for infrastructure improvements.

This might be great ideas for New York and London, but DC is already challenged to keep up with the surrounding burbs. This might only reinforce the idea that DC is a haven for taxing and spending.

This is an idea that should be left in the Big Apple, Mr. Fenty.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

When London did it, traffic fell by 50%. But just setting the infrastructure probably has enormous costs. Have fun with that!

Anonymous said...

50% less traffic? That sounds heavenly. Please tell me that Manhattan is considering this as well. I've been talking about just this type of arrangement for years.

Anonymous said...

NYC is indeed considering this. And I think it's a great idea for DC. We can't tax commuters on their income (like every other city does for commuters that cross state lines), People have to work in DC, so they can't stay in the burbs forever.

Anonymous said...

I have to agree that a congestion charge is a bad idea for D.C. NYC is much more like London in that the main business area is downtown, which is why it would work for the Big Apple. In DC, it is mainly the businesses that need easy access to the corridors of power which set up downtown. Every other business can and does set up somewhere near the Beltway, where there is much more office space and parking.