Monday, May 18, 2015

The Century Foundation — Public Seeks Transparency in Infrastructure Investment


More cognitive dissonance.
Americans consistently agree that the country needs more infrastructure investment. Just as consistently, however, they agree that they don’t want to pay for it. 
To a large extent, this hesitation to pony up is the fundamental cause of the current infrastructure crisis. As Fitch Ratings concluded in a recent report, “the ability to secure a revenue stream from either users or taxpayers is generally the limiting factor” preventing investment. It’s not just the oft-discussed idea of a gas tax hike, unpopular both among the public and on Capitol Hill, either. Issuance of municipal debt for new funding is at a twenty-year low. Even toll roads, which have seen a construction boom over the past decade, are now facing a backlash. 
But a new survey from the Mineta Transportation Institute shows that all hope may not be lost when it comes to raising revenue from taxpayers....
The Century Foundation
Public Seeks Transparency in Infrastructure Investment

1 comment:

Dan Lynch said...

" Even toll roads ... are now facing a backlash."

Ya think? Gee, it wouldn't have anything to do with the regressive fees and taxes used to fund infrastructure, would it?