Tourism, hospitality, manufacturing groups bristle at highway tolling talk

[TexasTowelie]

Some Wisconsin business leaders say introducing highway tolling in the state could harm its economy, even as top lawmakers cite the idea as a possible linchpin to negotiations over the state’s next budget.

The opposition from the state’s business lobby, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, and other groups illustrate part of the challenge facing lawmakers and Gov. Scott Walker if they want to introduce tolling to pay for road construction and repairs.

Lawmakers and Walker aim to pass the state’s next two-year budget in coming weeks. Their disagreement on how to address a lack of revenue for roads and bridges is the biggest hurdle to the budget’s passage in the face of a July 1 deadline.

Supporters of tolling say it would create a long-term revenue source for Wisconsin’s interstates. Many were built in the 1960s and have outlived their original lifespans, meaning they must be fully rebuilt at a cost of billions of dollars.

Read more: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/tourism-hospitality-manufacturing-groups-bristle-at-highway-tolling-talk/article_9a199357-b836-5322-b8ac-39b2805e4823.html

[TreasonousBastard]

1. Interstates are mostly federally funded, so what's the problem? And I thought...

you couldn't just put up toll booths on interstates-- isn't there some kind of rule about that?

Just raise the gas tax, like God says to.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

2. When you cut taxes to the bare bones....

as Republicans like to do, there leaves little money to actually run government and pay for services. Why should people pay for Scott Walker's mistakes? Tax the rich more! They use the roads as much, if not more than we all do.