Well it’s almost time to sign off. What I heard today was a lot of confusion about who pays for what. Let’s try to make that clear before I go. Your state income taxes don’t pay for airports, and they don’t pay for highway or mass transit projects. All these projects are basically funded by sales taxes and excise taxes on the gasoline, diesel or jet fuel that powers the respective car, truck or airplane. Yes, the state may sell a lot of bonds to pay for them, but any corporation would do the same thing to build a new factory or office building that would have a lifespan of 30-50 years.
You didn’t pay cash for your house did you? And your federal income taxes don’t pay for airports, but they do pay for the FAA employees. Federal income taxes may help pay for some highway/bridge projects but remember, there’s also a federal excise tax on gasoline too.
The bottom line. You have a choice about how you travel, but you are going to pay a tax unless you pedal a bike or walk to your destination.
You can learn more about transportation in California by visiting the California Transportation Commission website and the Caltrans website at. And you can learn more about airport funding at the FAA website.
– JOHN CHALKER