To the Editor:

In response to those who want to pay more taxes, I say we pay enough in taxes already. I don’t want to pay more in taxes and particularly in tolls. I have never understood how any Interstate road can collect tolls. The Interstate system is paid 90 percent from the federal treasury, which means everyone in the country that pays taxes has contributed. Therefore, for those who ask, “Why is it we allow all those out-of-state drivers, particularly heavy trucks, to use our roadways for free?” – I say they are not using them for free.

It amazes me that people want to pass their tax bill on to someone else. They want businesses or truckers to pay their taxes. No business pays taxes. They only collect it from you and me and pass it back to the government. You are fooling yourself if you think the truckers are not collecting taxes from you to pay for the roads. Commercial vehicles with a registered gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more pay the federal highway-use tax of up to $550. In addition, truckers pay Connecticut the International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) (ct.gov/DRS/cwp/view.asp?q=265808), which is an agreement among jurisdictions (states of the United States and Canadian provinces) to simplify the reporting of the fuel use taxes by interstate carriers. IFTA calculates the miles driven in Connecticut, and Connecticut gets a percentage of the fuel tax, regardless of where its purchased. Connecticut gets an equal percentage of the registration fee paid.

When I read that our Connecticut government must have a lock-box to keep it from repurposing my taxes paid for highways, it just points to the real problem. Government does not use our taxes for what they were intended, which is a big part of the problem with the highway taxes we pay now. Politicians use highway taxes to pay for bus systems that have no riders, bicycle routes, and walking trails, etc. Road funds paid by all of us should be used for roads we all use. Other uses, while maybe worthwhile, should be funded separately.

As for vehicles that don’t pay fuel taxes, they should be taxed separately based on some formula that averages the annual fuel tax paid by all citizens in the state. They should not get a free ride.

My family drives between Connecticut and the DC area, and because a round trip along I-95 costs nearly $100 in tolls, we either don’t go as often or drive a toll-free way, even if it takes a little longer. We also drive from here to New Orleans several times a year, and except for the Newburgh Bridge, we don’t pay any other tolls. Zero!

If people want to pay tolls, they should pay it for the street they live on, since they use it more than anyone else, particularly someone who lives in Tennessee, Montana, or Kansas. Tolls are just another tax, and we are taxed enough already.

Warren Hoppmeyer

23 Cobblers Mill Road, Sandy Hook August 15, 2018