26 - Wednesday, December 10, 1997 ~ North Shore News | How are Drop a hint Fied West Contributing Columnist Our provincial government has decid- ed to replace our Lions Gate Bridge with a four-lane facili- ty, which includes a depressed or tunnelled causeway through Stanley Park. The total cost is estimat- ed at nearly $300 million. Victoria will spend no more than $70 million of public money, insisting that $200 million of so will come trom a private investor who must design, build, operate and maintain the facility tor 30 cers, the driving public, will repay this private Investment via toll. By extolling a “user pay” policy our politicians are telling the driving public thar from now on you need to pay your way. The government is no longer willing to “sub: construction and maii nance of major road facilities to serve an implied wanton wastefulness by drivers who insist on using private auto- mobiles. But B.C. drivers are pay- ing their way. For decades B.C. drivers have been paying more than twice as much in fuel cases, licences and fees than our governments annually spend on B.C.’s roads and high- ways. Fuel tax revenues, licences and fees for fiscal 1997-98 to be raised within B.C. are projected to be approsimately $1.7 billion, while only about S800 mil- lion will be speat on roads, highways and related intra- structure Here are current esti- mates @ the federal motive fuel tax will raise $850 million; B.C.'s motive fuel tax will raise $623 million; ® motor vehicle licences and permits tor B.C. will bring in $322 million. The federal government does not fund highways pro- jects in B.C. at rhis time, though there is a small Strategic Highways Improvement Program through which Ottawa con- tributes one-third of capital expenditures, But only one minor pro- ject is reportedly qualifying in B.C The fuel sales tax sur- charge in the GVRD area is included in the motive fuel tax for B.C. figure above. Aviation fuel taxes are ed. The federal government is of course pocketing about $800 million annually from Columbians in tuel The province collects $130 million in excess of expenditures on roads and highways, This $930 million ¢ revenue is enough to build three Lions Gate Bridge replacements cach year, complete with tunnels under Stanley Park. ¥” policy is ocated affecti primarily motorists living and working on the North ips user pay should be applied sers such as the ones riding the heavily sub- sidized Westcoast Express urban rail fine. The newly proposed regional transportation Authority will apparently not have jurisdiction over Burrard Inlet crossings. Fuel taxes are, or at least were, intended to pay for highways and intrastruc- ture. In the United State such tax funds are dedicat- ed to their intended pur- pose only and governments cannot spend these on other programs. [am not advocating that 93, 94, 95 4RUNNERS Stating at $20,988 QUTH GRAND VOYAGER SE $2l loaded, like new, tow km | ra TERS fet fetums, 2 dr. autos. bal. of fact. wasr, anvim cass, Special from ‘s ds 90 CELICA GT in great shane... — _ Asteal at —- JIM PATT 1765 Marine Dr., North Vancouver Extolliag a user-pay pl we apply every penny of fucl taxes and tees raised in B.C. to roads and bridges. Bur fothink motorists have aright to decide haw their cay monies are allocat- ed. They may conclude that fucl taxes should partially tund transit. They may very well decide not to put tue! taxes into general revenue in ‘rawa, While Paul Martin and Andrew Petter argue over federal transfer payments and tederal and provincial revenue allocations, they should turn their attention to fuel taxes and transports: tion intrastructure needs in the regions in which these taves are raised, The province should develop a fong-term phan responsive to the trans: portation needs across the Burrard Inlet. This proposed Lions Gate project, in my view, will not satisiy these demands. Remove $67 million tor aviation fuel, and total tax r ug hits approximately $1.7 billion. The B.C. Highways bud- sare S780 mil he revenue surplus is approximately $938 million. Such long-term plains and improvements should be funded by our precious motor vehicle licences, fees and fuel taxes, federal and provincial, raised and spent mB, This policy would pro- vide Briti Columbians with “user pay” solutions to British Columbian trans- portation problems. 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