Marty Walsh: “in the debate over the future of transportation in this country, STEP 21's continuing refrain that ISTEA is unfair…”

“in the debate over the future of transportation in this country, STEP 21's continuing refrain that ISTEA is unfair because some States receive less Federal transportation money than they collect in Federal gasoline taxes is an invalid, misleading comparison. If the STEP 21 States believe that fairness in these matters is best defined by the amount of money a State sends to Washington, then such logic should be used on all moneys that pass between the Federal Government and the States. According to a study prepared by a major university, ISTEA works States send over $1,000 per person to Washington more than the STEP 21 States. The average amount of taxes STEP 21 States send to Washington is $4,400 per capita, while the average ISTEA State sends $5,400 per capita. Where is the fairness in that? The study done annually on the balance of payments to the States clearly shows that when all funds are considered, most STEP 21 States are receiver States while ISTEA works States are the real donor States.”