Dyna said:
But when you buy a TV a portion of the sales tax on it does not go
to
public television... so the highway lobby unlike other interests has
managed to syphon off a good chuck of the sales taxes we pay on just
about everything except food and clothing. When you buy a computer,
none of the sales tax on is dedicated to providing computers for the
underpriveledged, but the highway lobby has managed to steal a goodly
chunk of our sales taxes to fund more highway construction contracts
for themselves.
Wendy replies:
The Motor Vehicle Excise Tax is not quite the same as a sales tax, although
the rate is the same. If you were to sell your TV or computer to a friend,
your friend would not have to pay sales tax again. If you purchased a TV
while living in another state or country, and then moved here, you wouldn't
have to pay sales tax - but I had to pay excise tax when I moved back to MN
from Germany, in order to be able to register the vehicle I had purchased 2
years prior. Furthermore, if you purchase a car in MN, and then register it
in another state (or country), you don't have to pay the excise tax - it is
essentially a title fee based on the cost of the car, not a true sales tax.
Dyna says:
Minneapolis has about as many miles of streets as Minnesota has
miles
of interstate highways. But while those freeways were built almost
entirely with federal funds, our city streets were largely paid for by
we Minneapolis residents whether we drive on them or not. And thanks to
that unfunded manadate known as the Surface Traffic Assistance Act of
1982 as amended we are required to allow the same 40 ton trucks that
travel the Interstates access to our network of city streets. We thusly
have to with largely our own citizens tax dollars build our streets to
the same standards as an interstate highway. We also are forced to live
with the 53 foot long trailers that never should have been allowed on
even the Interstates snarling our traffic while blocking 3 lanes to
make a simple right turn.
Wendy replies:
The message was in reply to the assertion that 2/3 of highway funds come
from the state general fund. They do not. Even if you disallowed MVET as
an auto generated revenue, you would be no where near 2/3. I didn't say
that people paid nothing toward local streets.
I am not familiar with the Act cited - a google search, and quick perusal of
the text looked as though it dealt with "buy American" issues with regard to
the purchase of buses and trains with federal money. If I missed something,
please let me know. Most of MN is working on upgrading a network of major
roads (primarily county highways) to 10 ton standards. If Minneapolis is
building their local streets to 40 ton standards, they would be the only
ones doing so. Still - it is not relevant to whether 2/3 of highway funds
come from the state general fund.
Thanks for the discussion-
Wendy Wulff
Lakeville
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