🚀 go-pugleaf

"John Gilmer" <gilmer@crosslink.net> wrote:
> 
> You may have a good point in regard to the railroads paying real estate tax
> on the right of way.    However, operating railroads have it in their
> collective and individual power the ability to change this and for their own
> reasons have choosen not to.
> 
> If a railroad things it's right of way is overtaxed, then request that the
> government purchase these rights of way and run the rail network on a
> highest bidder/first come first served basis!   The railroads aren't doing
> this do they think the real estate taxes they pay are no big deal.   So why
> do you think it is?

I hashed that one out in the railroad and urban transit newsgroups, and
found out that the American Railroad Association itself says that grand
total annual railroad property taxes collected in the U.S. only amounts
to $300 million.  That would be $6 million for an average size state
like Virginia.  VDOT spends $1 billion per year in direct user taxes on
road maintenance.  Roads are a public utility, railroads are a
profit-making enterprise, and that tax is proportionally a tiny
pittance.  Another perspective, the Virginia personal property tax ("car
tax") on motor vehicles provides over $300 million per year to the city
or county of registration.  This is a road user levy that goes to
municipal general funds. 

So this "railroads pay property tax and roads don't" issue is really a
non-issue.

--
Scott M. Kozel     Highway and Transportation History Websites
Virginia/Maryland/Washington D.C. http://www.richmond.infi.net/~kozelsm
Philadelphia and Delaware Valley
http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Campus/5961/pennways.html