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Bridge tolls do not make sense to us

“A toll is a tax.”

We couldn’t agree more with this observation of state Rep. Jeff Wheeland, R-Loyalsock Township, who is among local lawmakers and officials who are against a plan by the state Department of Transportation to toll nine bridges along Interstate 80.

Apparently, PennDOT is authorized by state and federal laws to implement this toll to raise funds for repairs to the specific bridges being tolled.

On the surface, that makes sense. But it’s never that easy.

There are considerations, ranging from the impact on business and industry, to traffic pressure placed on communities where motorists may find a detour around a tolled bridge, to people who rely on the interstate for their daily commute to work.

Sure, we understand PennDOT is under pressure to find ways to fund its highway projects.

Focusing tolls on targeted bridge projects would free up funds for other highway projects at a time when the state gas tax is not producing as much revenue as before the pandemic.

Speaking of the pandemic, the signs are showing light at the end of the tunnel. People who have tired of staying home largely over the past year will be itching to get out and take some road trips as the vaccines become more widely available and as we take the next step back to normalcy. That means the gas tax will rebound.

That revenue may not be enough to cover everything PennDOT is planning, but is tolling really the way to go? Or should we be taking a closer look at where the gas tax goes before we start tolling bridges?

Remember, a toll is a tax.

It’s a tax on people.

It’s a tax on businesses.

It’s a tax on industries that rely on major highways to accommodate the transportation part of the supply chain.

Tolls are considered when major companies look for sites to locate operations.

We believe these proposed tolls are bad for business and bad for Pennsylvania.

Moreover, this plan could be a slippery slope. How soon before tolls become a way of life, particularly if they become the crutch that bails us out of our problems?

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