[lbo-talk] Congestion pricing may not hurt the poor, study finds

[Jordan Hayes]

> is there anyone who has worked out transport charging that would have 
> a progressive impact, by a) assuring a lifeline supply of
> transport (gas/petrol, or free transport of some sort to all
> poor/working people), cross-subsidised by luxury taxation for
> hedonistic consumers?

About the closest you get to something like this in the US is things 
like TransitChek, where employers who sign up can give their employees 
transit purchases with pre-tax dollars.  This obviously helps lower 
income folks more than it does higher income folks, but it's not good 
enough.


> That sort of public welfare strategy is beginning to work in South 
> Africa in the case of water, where a recent constitutional lawsuit 
> gave great impetus to free basic water (50 liters per person per day) 
> and much higher charges for consumption in excess of 200 liters per 
> person per day.

There are much more significant programs for basic utilities -- water, 
gas/electric, phone -- in the US than for transit.  I think it's a 
clearer case to be made for politicians to soak a monopoly to benefit 
the poor than for the middle class.

/jordan