Date:         Tue, 23 Apr 1996 11:55:11 -0600
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Joseph J Helwig <jhelwig@eagle.wbm.ca>
Subject:      Re: Gas Prices 

At 10:03 22/4/96 -0500, Bill Crick wrote:
>
>They can: I think you will find the price difference is in taxes. At least
>in Canada it is. About 55% of our gas price is taxes. This money is allegedly
>used to pay for roads, road maintainance, .... All of the 'hidden costs' of
>owning, and worse yet driving a car. Although we bitch lot, it is a good system
>in that it is user pay. I drive, I pay gas taxes. My mother who walks to the 
>grocery store spends very little directly to support roads. Note however, she
>pays the gas tax cost of getting the goods to the store through the 
>manufacturers/distributors paying gas tax, and adding this to the prices.
>
>If you don't have gas tax, who pays for your roads? Everyone, whether they use
>them or not? Hmmm! Sounds sort of like the commune system they had in Russia
>a few years back?
>
Ah, if only this was the case. The difference between theory and reality.

Here in Saskatchewan (another province in Canada - not as pretty as BC, but
"so flat we can see the future coming") the provincial gov't spends less
than 20% of the money they collect on the gasoline tax on road maintenance.
The gov't is also allowing some paved roads to "revert to gravel". The rest
of the gas tax money goes into the province's general revenue fund. You'd
immediately notice this when you enter the province, as the roads are
riddled with potholes, and have thousands of patches per km. As the old joke
goes: How are Saskatchewan highways and golf courses similar? They both have
18 holes per mile.

ObVW content - I've rebuilt my vw's suspension so I can drive down these roads.

Joe Helwig
'64 bug
bus wannabe