Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Tax Policy

The Parking Tax Benefit: A $7.3 Billion Subsidy for Traffic Congestion

By Tanya Snyder | Nov 18, 2014 | 11 Comments

The federal government spends billions of dollars a year on tax subsidies that make traffic congestion worse, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis by TransitCenter and the Frontier Group. The culprit is the parking commuter tax benefit, which costs taxpayers $7.3 billion in foregone revenue each year, all while adding more than 800,000 cars to rush-hour […]

Lawmakers Could Finally Equalize Benefits for Transit and Parking This Year

By Tanya Snyder | Nov 12, 2014 | 14 Comments

It’s time to rev up the annual fight over parity between federal transit and parking benefits for commuters. Members of Congress hope this might finally be the year to get it done. This morning, Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Jim McGovern (D-MA) announced that they will, again, push to equalize the tax benefits available to […]

Missouri Says No to Amendment 7’s Monster Tax Hike for Roads

By Tanya Snyder | Aug 6, 2014 | 4 Comments

Last night, Missourians decided overwhelmingly to reject a ballot initiative that would have raised the sales tax by three-quarters of a cent to pay, almost exclusively, for roads. It would have been the largest tax increase in the state’s history. Voters voted 59 percent to 41 percent to reject the tax. “It’s difficult to pass […]

What’s the Best Way to Tax Parking?

By Angie Schmitt | Jul 25, 2014 | No Comments

Taxing parking, the way Pittsburgh does, can make downtowns livelier and encourage a healthier mix of transportation options. Of course, implementing these policies can get tricky. A recent report from the Victoria Transport Policy Institute [PDF] delves into the issue and sorts out the best way to go about it. At his blog, Transport Providence, James Kennedy considers […]

Talking Headways Podcast: Rondo Revisited

By Tanya Snyder | Jun 20, 2014 | 1 Comment

Finally, there is a light rail line connecting the Twin Cities. The Green Line, running 11 miles from Union Depot in downtown St. Paul to Target Field in downtown Minneapolis, cost $957 million and took decades to build. The process of choosing stations was contentious but eventually incorporated the proposals of low-income communities that wanted […]

Talking Headways Podcast: California Über Alles

By Tanya Snyder | May 1, 2014 | 2 Comments

Welcome to our all-California, all-the-time episode of the Talking Headways podcast. We start with a statewide debate over whether $60,000+ Teslas should qualify for tax breaks — or whether any electric vehicles should get tax breaks. Then on to the conversation about how California’s cap-and-trade dollars should be spent. One proposal, from the State Senate leader, […]

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