Political Quotes

“While the Highway Trust Fund provides the financing for construction and maintenance of public roads and bridges used by trucks and automobiles, the railroad industry realizes no similar return on its tax payments. Railroads currently expend more than $7 billion annually in capital to build and maintain their own ``roads.'' These private rights-of-ways are subject to more than $400 million annually in local property taxes. While few Senators are more dedicated to the goal of deficit reduction than I, it seems that the burden of reducing the Federal deficit must be shared equally among competing modes of transportation. The Senate Finance Committee adopted an amendment to the chairman's Mark which would transfer the 4.3-cent-per-gallon deficit reduction tax paid by highway users to the Highway Trust Fund--minus the new half-cent tax for the Intercity Rail Trust Fund--Amtrak. Additionally, the House Ways and Means Committee transferred the 4.3-cent-per-gallon tax paid by aviation users to the Aviation Trust Fund. Assuming that these amendments remain in the bills, the rail industry will be paying 5.05 cents per gallon for deficit reduction while those in competing industries will be paying nothing for deficit reduction.”