🚀 go-pugleaf

Bob Yelnats <yelnats@BLUE.ocis.temple.edu> wrote:
>> Alice J. Merchant (amerchan@aludra.usc.edu) wrote:
>
>> : I don't know the exact price, but I used to live in Philadelphia
>> : and noticed that full serve gas in NJ costs the same as
>> : self-serve in PA.  Pretty appalling, eh?

Actually, full-serve gas in NJ costs about the same as self-serve gas
almost anywhere else.  NJ is the proof that full-serve gas stations
don't have to be expensive.

>I live in Philadelphia and will soon be living just across the river in
>New Jersey. One reason that gas in Philadelphia costs more than in NJ is
>because the Pennsylvania gas tax is higher than the gas tax in New Jersey.
>Some people who complain about PA's high gas tax don't realize that real
>estate taxes in Pennsylvania are much lower than real estate taxes in New
>Jersey. Since New Jersey funds a lot of its state highways through its
>real estate and other local taxes, it can have a relatively low gas tax. 

Nope.  NJ does not fund highway repair from property taxes.  Property
taxes are levied by the county and local government.  Property taxes
do NOT go to the state.  So no state or federal roads will be
maintained with funds from property taxes.  Local and county roads,
perhaps, but not the big ones.

>NJ forces real estate owners to pay for highways they may not even
>ever use.

Your point?  I'm sure you don't use all the services your taxes go
for.  Nobody uses all the services their taxes pay for.  That's life.

>Note that I am not defending PA's high gas tax, just explaining why
>the gas tax is lower in NJ.

It's an interesting explanation, but that's not the main reason.

One of the bigger reasons is that NJ has a very high population
density.  NJ probably takes in more money than PA in personal and
corporate income taxes.  (the rates may also be higher, but I don't
know what PA's rates are) They also have higher sales taxes.  These
are state-run taxes, and do go to pay for the roads.

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