Re: Latest news on Speedrail

[mauried@tpg.com.au (Maurie Daly)]

On Mon, 2 Oct 2000 10:31:33 +1000, "Tezza"
<tezza2000@dingoblue.net.au> wrote:

>
>"Maurie Daly"
>"Tezza"
>> >"Maurie Daly"
>> >, "Tezza"
>> >> >I think the easiest, cheapest, fairest way is to wipe their rego fees and add a charge to fuel. The more fuel they use the
>more
>> >tax they pay. The same should also be done for cars.
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> Good idea. Why not then do this for trains as well,and wipe the track access
>> >> charges entirely.
>> >
>> >They'd never do it. They'd probably have to charge $2-3 a litre for diesel.
>> >
>> >
>> Its really a question of where the money goes .
>> Fuel excise goes into consolidated revenue which is then used by the
>> Feds for any form of funding they like.
>
>The states do the same, even with the 3X3 (8X10?)
>
>> Track Access charges mainly go into State Govt coffers where the
>> States use it for what ever purposes they think fit.
>> If the States actually used the money they collected for the purposes
>> of improving rail I dont think anyone would mind.
>
>I wish the Feds and states would use the funds where they were collected. User pays only when it suits them.
>
>>
>> The bottom line is though that whilst rail has to pay track access
>> charges and road doesnt ,then rail isnt as efficient or effective as
>> road,and the pollies know this and are quite happy to do nothing about
>> it,and indeed should they .
>> After all,is there anything that needs fixing ?
>
>Heaps, but they'd have to divert funds from Super, VIP jets etc.
>
>
I dont think so.
Apart from us rail fans and a few small rail lobby groups , who
exactly sees the lack of rail funding as any sort of problem.
The average mug voter couldnt give a stuff about the inequity between
rail and road funding,and rail funding is never going to become a
major election issue,simply because there is noone to push the cause.
The rail operators themselves seem unprepared to take any sort of
stand and there are already too many truck operators competing against
each other to make a decent living.
If rail freight dissapeared altogther,do you think anyone would
notice?

MD