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Local Transportation Sales Taxes: California's Experiment in Transportation Finance

Author

Listed:
  • Crabbe, Amber E.
  • Hiatt, Rachel
  • Poliwka, Susan D.
  • Wachs, Martin

Abstract

Over the last 25 years, voters in 20 California counties approved “local transportation sales taxes” to pay for transportation projects. A growing source of revenue, they generate roughly $2.5 billion per year. Four features explain their popularity: they require direct voter approval; funds are raised and spent within the counties that enact them, so voters experience benefits directly; most automatically expire; and they usually specify the improvements to be financed. These taxes are an important revenue source, but tend to favor capital investments over operations and maintenance. They have enhanced local governments' decision-making authority, but may have made regional transportation planning in multi-county regions more difficult to achieve.

Suggested Citation

  • Crabbe, Amber E. & Hiatt, Rachel & Poliwka, Susan D. & Wachs, Martin, 2005. "Local Transportation Sales Taxes: California's Experiment in Transportation Finance," University of California Transportation Center, Working Papers qt1jg9w662, University of California Transportation Center.
    • Handle: RePEc:cdl:uctcwp:qt1jg9w662
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Jongmin Shon, 2022. "Does Competition Tame the Leviathan? A Case of Earmarked Spending for Transportation," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 241(2), pages 59-78, June.
    2. Winston, Clifford & Karpilow, Quentin, 2017. "A New Route to Increasing Economic Growth: Reducing Highway Congestion with Autonomous Vehicles," Working Papers 03323, George Mason University, Mercatus Center.
    3. Ellen Hanak & Kim Rueben, 2006. "Funding Innovations for California Infrastructure: Promises and Pitfalls," Working Paper 8576, USC Lusk Center for Real Estate.
    4. Boarnet, Marlon G., 2014. "National transportation planning: Lessons from the U.S. Interstate Highways," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 73-82.
    5. Whitney B. Afonso, 2015. "Leviathan or Flypaper: Examining the Fungibility of Earmarked Local Sales Taxes for Transportation," Public Budgeting & Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(3), pages 1-23, September.
    6. Wood, Liza & Scott, Tyler A., 2022. "Transportation agencies as consumers and producers of science: The case of state, regional, and county transportation agencies in California," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 153-165.
    7. Matthew Palm & Susan Handy, 2018. "Sustainable transportation at the ballot box: a disaggregate analysis of the relative importance of user travel mode, attitudes and self-interest," Transportation, Springer, vol. 45(1), pages 121-141, January.
    8. Martin Wachs, 2013. "Turning cities inside out: transportation and the resurgence of downtowns in North America," Transportation, Springer, vol. 40(6), pages 1159-1172, November.
    9. Albrecht, Maxwell & Brown, Anne & Lederman, Jaimee & Taylor, Brian D. & Wachs, Martin, 2017. "The Equity Challenges and Outcomes of California County Transportation Sales Tax," Institute of Transportation Studies, Research Reports, Working Papers, Proceedings qt39q2758w, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Berkeley.
    10. Karima Kourtit & Peter Nijkamp & Mark D. Partridge & Marlon G. Boarnet, 2013. "The declining role of the automobile and the re-emergence of place in urban transportation: The past will be prologue," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 5(2), pages 237-253, June.

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