The Empirical Research on the Social Equity of Gas Taxes, Emissions Fees, and Congestion Charges

This paper summarizes the empirical research on the effects of transport user charges and taxes on low-income households. In the first section, the author describes how finance fits into two emerging fields of equity research: social exclusion and environmental justice. These two fields inform why researchers should be concerned with finance and pricing beyond basic tax fairness principles from public finance. After that discussion, the author assembles the empirical estimates from the research and draws some lessons both for policy and analysis. General gas and emissions charges are expected to cost low-income households about 0.2 percent of their annual income, without tax shifting. High-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes—a premium transport service—are expected to cost roughly the same, while comparatively high, comprehensive tolling schemes designed for vehicle miles traveled (VMT) reduction have estimated out-of-pocket costs at about 5 percent of household income for lower income households. Studies that consider benefits as well as costs tend to tell a different story: some toll schemes are beneficial to low-income households both in terms of congestion relief and air quality benefits. The paper ends with a critique of the methodology and concepts, including a conceptual frame for multi-level, geographic analysis and for broadening the scope of finance equity.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/sr/sr303Schweitzer.pdf
• 
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  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9780309167604
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
• Authors:
  • Schweitzer, Lisa
• Publication Date: 2011

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 29p
• Monograph Title: Equity of Evolving Transportation Finance Mechanisms
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Board Special Report
  • Issue Number: 303
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0360-859X

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Benefit cost analysis; Congestion pricing; Environmental justice; Equity; Financing; Fuel taxes; High occupancy toll lanes; Highways; Impacts; Low income groups; Public transit; Transportation policy; User charges; Vehicle miles of travel
• Uncontrolled Terms: Emission fees; Social exclusion
• Subject Areas: Economics; Environment; Finance; Highways; Policy; Public Transportation; Society; I10: Economics and Administration; I15: Environment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01351436
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 9780309167604
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Sep 9 2011 3:09PM