Another Republican with a bad idea, state Sen. Jim Buck of Kokomo:
An idea is being bandied around the statehouse dealing with another tax which would impact people who live in one county and work in another.
It's called a commuter tax and proponents say it would help pay for roads, police and fire departments.
There are some in the statehouse that believe commuters have been getting a free ride and that it is time to pay up.
A "free ride" because they don't pay some tribute fee to the counties they work in? They already pay plenty in gasoline taxes -- both for the federal Highway Trust Fund and for a state and local share. This money is used for road improvements, one of the best examples of a tax that is really a user fee. And now they want extra money from those who use the roads to commute to work? Why not those who use them for shopping trips or visits to Aunt Clara?
This is just about finding another way to raise money, which is made clear by the way Buck's scheme would be set up, based on imcome. For every $40,000 earned, a commuter would leave behind $100 in the employing county. Do those who earn more do more damage to the roads?
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