ESTIMATING REVENUES FROM USER CHARGES, TAXES, AND FEES: IDENTIFYING INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS

This paper concentrates on highway transportation and assesses how well states are able to forecast revenues from taxes and fees levied on highway users and whether the models they employ in forecasting revenues are appropriate for the task. In addition, the paper investigates whether the information relied upon by these models is sufficiently accurate to support reliable forecasts, and how this information might be improved. The paper then moves beyond questions of current practice and examines new methods of financing transportation infrastructure investments and their information needs for forecasting. The discussion is organized as follows: After a brief review of the evolution of highway finance and its components, the next section of this paper reviews variables that currently are used in forecasting state highway revenues, and it assesses the quality and accuracy of available measures of these variables. Factors that may affect the reliability of current information are explored, new options for measuring specific variables are examined, and their information requirements are outlined. In the next section, the adequacy of current revenue forecasting models is investigated. This section also identifies the additional information demands that are likely to be imposed by new or improved forecasting models. The next section examines the information needs that are likely to result from introducing new revenue instruments. This section requires a somewhat speculative examination of the specific financing measures states may be considering to augment their current revenue sources, including highway tolls and new forms of user taxes or fees. Finally, the last section contains a summary and identification of critical research questions.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/conf/1999/cp21/21-016.pdf
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309071240
• 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.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Gillen, D
• Conference:
  • Information Requirements for Transportation Economic Analysis
  • Location: Irvine, California
  • Date: 1999-8-19 to 1999-8-21
• Publication Date: 2000

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 128-149
• Monograph Title: INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS FOR TRANSPORTATION ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Board Conference Proceedings
  • Issue Number: 21
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 1073-1652

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accuracy; Data quality; Fees; Financing; Forecasting; Future; Highway transportation; Infrastructure; Investments; Research; Revenues; Taxes; Tolls; Transportation planning; User charges
• Uncontrolled Terms: Data needs
• Subject Areas: Finance; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Research; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00796914
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309071240
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Aug 4 2000 12:00AM