What’s Next After 35W Bridge Collapse? - #1 Repeal the MVST Amendment
Posted by Andy on August 4th, 2007
One of the things that needs to be changed in Minnesota to help make sure that our bridges and highways are safe is to not siphon off money that could and should be used to build, maintain, and operate them.
I just bought a new truck. A very expensive new truck. I paid a butt load of sales tax on that new truck. About $2350 worth. Now, due to the social engineer’s recent MVST amendment, only up to a certain portion of that $2350 can be used on roads, the rest MUST be used on mass transit.
“Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to dedicate revenue from a tax on the sale of new and used motor vehicles over a five-year period, so that after June 30, 2011, all of the revenue is dedicated at least 40 percent for public transit assistance and not more than 60 percent for highway purposes? Yes ……. No ……..”
No more than $1386 or the $2350 I paid in sales tax on my new truck can be used for roads, bridges, and highways … at least $960 MUST be used for mass transit, and not the roads my new truck will use. The way the amendment is worded, all $2350 of the sales tax I paid, could be for mass transit. In other words, not one dime of the $2350 I paid in vehicle sales tax would go to roads.
Now I am not sure how much the MVST collects annually, but I am sure there would be enough to inspect and repair most, if not all, ’structurally deficient’ bridges in minnesota that the new vehicles would use.
The MVST (Motor Vehicle Sales Tax) must be rededicated fully to roads, bridges, and infrastructure for the vehicles that the tax originated from.
I urge Legislators and Government officials (IE Governor Pawlenty) to begin the process to repeal the Amendment, and replace it with statutes and or a new Amendment where 100% of the taxes collected from vehicle sales to be applied to building, maintaining, and operating the roads.
More to come.
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August 4th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
While I am certainly no fan of the MVST amendment, it certainly would not hurt to use some of that money to add transit that works - bus routes. Busses can be moved around the system to areas where they are needed - witness what Metro Transit did on Wednesday night…adding 25 busses to existing north metro routes to accomodate stranded drivers.
I have no problems with transit that gets people from where they are to where they need to go in a reasonable amount of time. Given that defination now you know why I am so dead set against light rail.
LL
August 5th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
Hey fracktard -
Although I don’t like mass transit, buses are needed to relieve the congestion that will hit 94 and 280 now that 35W is out of commission. The state needs every penny to get 35W open ASAP.
If MVST hadn’t passed, your $2350 in taxes would’ve gone to Minnesota Care and other social welfare programs. Not one cent would have gone to anything remotely related to transportation.
August 6th, 2007 at 6:41 am
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