Connecticut’s latest tax gambit: tax your movement in and out of the state

Like all good government proposals that intrude evermore into our lives, this one has been around for a long time. But the fact that it’s been resurrected again just proves the point that they just never have enough money. In this case Connecticut Democrats have once again resurrected the idea of tolls into and out of the state. But what happens when every state in the region decides it’s a good idea. Unlawful restraint?

From Sunday’s Face the State program, Democrat state representative Tony Guerrera gives his rationale as to why the state needs to put entry and exit tolls on Connecticut highways. The tax, and make no mistake its attacks, would charge people coming into and out of the state five dollars. The system he intends to use would work much like an easy pass. But pay close attention to what he would do if you don’t have an easy pass on your car. The state is in the best of hands.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Twnwah27y8U

Presumably the gas tax, which is already one of the highest in the country, would be cut substantially. But you and I both know that that will never happen. And consider this my little mobsters, Rhode Island is considering a similar tax. And what about New York, and Massachusetts?

Another shakedown, going through your pockets for a little loose change.

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Jim Vicevich

Jim is a veteran broadcaster and conservative/libertarian blogger with more than 25 years experience in TV and radio. Jim's was the long-term host of The Jim Vicevich Show on WTIC 1080 in Hartford from 2004 through 2019. Prior to radio, Jim worked as a business and financial reporter for NBC30 - the NBC owned TV station in Hartford - and as business editor at WFSB-TV in Hartford for 14 years while earning six Emmy nominations and three Telly Awards.

35 Comments

  1. Wayne SW on March 28, 2011 at 4:14 am

    That process for billing people who don't have a transponder is soooooo well thought out.  Must be they think the car will pay the bill, not the driver.  Perhaps they will just run a tally and make it part of vehicle registration.  We are doomed.

     



  2. joe_m on March 28, 2011 at 4:28 am

    It's amazing that he does not even have any concept of the cost to bill a non-ezpass vehicle.

    First they have to track down the license plate, then send an invoice and hope they receive payment. If not, then what? Send a reminder?

    Maybe this is not about a toll on CT roads but more jobs for state union workers.

    It will cost us (yes us) $25 to collect a $5 or $10 toll. Will somebody in government, please do the math.

    I'll just put my ez-pass in it's plastic bag and let the state bill me, just so they can loose money. Can't wait to move out of this state. 

    How do these people get elected?



    • GdavidH on March 28, 2011 at 5:21 am

      I was thinking the same thing about putting it in the bag. They even make a case now that you just open and close to block it, I've seen them in rental cars.

       The problem I have with this is twofold….First, if you don't vigorously enforce payment from those without an EZ-pass, you are not fairly taxing the people, and second, as you point out, that will be logistically challenging. Even setting up the surveillance advanced enough to catch every plate, at any speed and traffic condition, would be a stretch.I would think all you would have to do in court would be to challenge that premise to show enough doubt to not be responsible to pay.



  3. Don Lombardo on March 28, 2011 at 4:55 am

    The Golden Goose is getting an ice water enema.



  4. Dimsdale on March 28, 2011 at 5:26 am

    "…it's total electronic." and "transpondit".   I am sure glad this gentleman is not my representative.

     

    Did he lick his lips when he said "track you down"?  Can they track you down if you leave, never to return?

     

    It all comes back to "it's not your money".



    • winnie888 on March 28, 2011 at 7:02 pm

      Dims, what IS a “transpondit”?? He reminds me of poorly edumacated mafia.? What a dolt.



  5. Dimsdale on March 28, 2011 at 5:28 am

    So if the premise that  "if you tax something,  you get less of it" applies, they want less people coming to CT?



  6. Sal on March 28, 2011 at 9:59 am

    All the democrats at the state capital(in a star trek bog voice)

    We are the democrats you will be taxed resistance is futile



    • Sal on March 28, 2011 at 10:00 am

      Sorry about the typo bog should be Borg



  7. porschepete on March 28, 2011 at 11:50 am

    Joe  m these guys get elected because no body runs aganist them. My

    state rep allways runs unapposed even he's as bright as a refrigator light bulb. 



    • GdavidH on March 29, 2011 at 10:44 am

      With the door closed?



  8. winnie888 on March 28, 2011 at 2:00 pm

    "This used to be Connecticut!"

    "It ain't no more!"

    Back in the US…back in the US…back in the USSR.  Sal, you & the Borg are correct: resistance to this crap is futile.



  9. Eric on March 28, 2011 at 7:43 pm

    These Democrat morons in Hartford just don’t get it. They must stay up at night trying to think of new and unique ways to spend more money while screwing the good people of this state. EVERYTHING is taxed now as it is! The new Governor claims that the state is now open for business, but anyone that tries to do business here is going to be taxed to death, right along with the rest of us. Business is leaving CT, and for good reason. Governor Malloy is an extortionist, and his hacks in the State House should be jailed for incompetence. CT is really starting to suck… and I’m seriously thinking about spending my retirement years elsewhere!



    • essneff on March 28, 2011 at 10:42 pm

      Do you realize?that this?”jackwagon” ran unopposed in?his last election?? What an economic?intellect? Maybe, Tony should replace Bernanke at the Federal Reserve!! ?Open for business? What about businesses located in CT? Do you think anyone from RI will jaunt across the border to frequent?them?if ?this idiot gets his way???



  10. bill88w on March 29, 2011 at 12:13 am

    Download this and check where Connecticut ranks.? When a high rank is good, CT is ranked low and when a low rank is good, CT is ranked?high.? http://www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/2181.html
    They will have to add a catagory for entrance and exit fees.



  11. chocolyle on March 29, 2011 at 2:02 am

    Mr. Guerrera really needs to do his home work on how this stuff works. No infrared here! He sounds like a fool! CT law requires a front plate for state of CT registered vehicles, how many do you see on the road WITHOUT them? What about out of state? Ok so normally they do have additional cameras covering the rear for back up, but I have seen a lot of trucks with no visible rear plate for even the best Mega-Pixel high speed cameras.

    Yes the re is software that automatically recognizes license plates based on a the DMV database but again what about out of state vehicles?

    I would love to make that sale for the equipment, installation etc, but like the red light cameras, not one is making money or "Saving lives!" Most every study I have read have increase accidents when they are implemented and NONE are self sufficient! I am not saying that the tolls would cause accidents but I know they will not be self sufficient and make the sate real money, they never are, they cost a lot of money to run.



  12. pauldow on March 29, 2011 at 8:00 am

    And what area does Democrat Tony Guerrera represent? Why, it's Newington, Rocky Hill and Wethersfield! Three town that are near the center of the state that will have the least impact from this idiocy. I'd hate to be running a pizza delivery service near the border. That will be an extra $10 Guerrera fee, please!

    Imagine the traffic on routes 1, 159, 5, 193, and 171 as people get on those roads to avoid the Guerrera.



  13. TomL on March 29, 2011 at 8:14 am

    I guess he was first in line when they passed out the stupid pills.



  14. sammy22 on March 29, 2011 at 8:36 am

    @GdavidH: I guess you have not been on the Indiana Turnpike (nor on many European toll roads). Hint: you do not need a human to collect tolls  or dispense tickets.



    • GdavidH on March 29, 2011 at 10:56 am

      No, you are correct. I have however been on the toll roads in Ma., NJ, Del., Md., NY, etc. I have had EZ-pass for a long time and have had problems with the equipment misreading my tag resulting in overcharges, several times. I have also gone through the gate without being charged. These are facts from my own experience. If you believe that the reports of the equipment being anywhere near perfect are true, you are gullible. The simple fact is that these systems are flawed and they get lucky. I have read too many articles and stories about this subject to be convinced otherwise. 

       If you read all the comments above, I believe you will find your faith in the automated system in the minority. You will also notice that the surveillance equipment is not the ONLY issue.



  15. TomL on March 29, 2011 at 10:41 am

    Sammy the toll roads are always manned. In order to get an EZ Pass you need to have a credit card. Not many 17-19 year olds have credit cards and would probably prefer cash. I'm up and down the roads going from state to state on a daily basis and still want to pay cash so I don't have people automatically dinging my credit cards when ever they want.  Let them man the toll booths with good old state union workers.



  16. sammy22 on March 29, 2011 at 12:02 pm

    The verdict is in: the people in NH, NY, NJ etc. who have “voted” for tolls and E-Z passes are morons! All the smart people are in CT.



    • GdavidH on March 29, 2011 at 8:05 am

      Again Sammy misses the story.

      It's not about tolls on "toll roads" or bridges like they have in the states you mention. It's about entry and exit tolls of $5.00 each way( NY bridges don't even do that), and it's about the method of collection. You cannot only charge people with EZ-pass tags, and you cannot enforce collection otherwise without toll booths. None of the states you mention are toll booth free because the technology does not exist. That is why this guy is a dunce.



  17. sammy22 on March 29, 2011 at 1:16 pm

    Nothing made by humans is foolproof or operates perfectly. Is that it? If that is the point, we should stay home under the blankets. Can we find solutions or always point out problems? Somebody wants to pay cash? The robot will take that too.



    • GdavidH on March 29, 2011 at 1:37 pm

      Sammy, I got my EZ-pass because it was convenient for me. I knew also that it was convenient for the toll authorities but that was not the point. Unlike a bank charging you for using the internet banking rather than a teller( which saves them money), EZ-pass costs no more and the convenience is immense. The problem I have with this proposal is as I stated above. I know that alot of people will get a free pass and unless I cheat, I won't.  The $5.00 price tag is probably high knowing this. Why not 50 cents or $1.00 in one direction. If a tax cannot be levied fairly and equally, it should not be levied. Reps like this guy who believe in fantasy technology should STFU and not propose laws they don't understand



    • Dimsdale on March 30, 2011 at 8:13 am

      From the sound of it, Guerrara doesn't understand toast.

       

      If you want a perfectly automated system a) you have to build it and maintain it (money); b) you have to give, or worse, sell transponders to all drivers (money); c) you will have to  put a toll monitor on EVERY road leading into/out of the state (money); d) you will provide an incentive for people NOT to consider CT as a destination site (money).

       

      Not to mention the all too real potential (dare I say certainty) of insurers colluding with politicians (money) to track people's driving habits, i.e. speed, and the new farce of charging people by the mile (which they do already as a fuel tax).

       

      Maybe the real problem is that government is so far from foolproof (Guerrara) and does not operate anywhere near perfectly (budget deficit).



    • Dimsdale on March 30, 2011 at 8:14 am

      Reductio ad absurdum is not an arguement, sammy.



    • Dimsdale on March 30, 2011 at 8:15 am

      I know: argument.



  18. Shared Sacrifice on March 29, 2011 at 7:41 pm

    "Toe boofs", "total electronic", "…shoots a light at a "transpondet""?   These morons should be spitting on your windshield at traffic lights and demanding you tip them for wiping it clean!  How do a$$ hat$ like this get into office?



    • winnie888 on March 30, 2011 at 1:06 pm

      bwahahahahaaaa…this is the laugh I needed tonight…."toe boofs"…Two words: speech therapy.



    • GdavidH on March 30, 2011 at 5:55 pm

      Other A$$ hats vote!



  19. TomL on March 30, 2011 at 3:18 am

    Leaves me wondering if he's a stockholder in EZ Pass. It is a private enterprise.



  20. cdugger on March 30, 2011 at 4:07 am

    Jim, read this article in the WSJ, we are already among the States most dependent on high earners to float the boat….
    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704



  21. SeeingRed on March 30, 2011 at 8:43 am

    We ?have property in NC and had planned to build a new house and retire there – say in another 10-12 years.? But now we’re somewhat desperately searching for job options there and will?sell out of CT lock-stock & barrel ASAP.? We’re not rich but our combined?multi-six figure?income has gone from being nickle-dimed to fin & saw-bucked.?? The decision has been made for us: what is going in is irreversible.

    Enough.? Buh-bye.?



  22. edwardinct on March 31, 2011 at 4:06 pm

    the first few times, he seems to be saying "tow boofs" see's a todo ideeutt or mowon, where do these stewpit people come fwom?



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