One is the fact that for every tax proposed, they balance it with elimination of an existing tax. Most of the tax shift is aimed at reducing Business, Income and Sales Taxes from 47 percent of the total state and local revenue burden to just 16 percent. It gives the taxpayer control over the amount of tax he or she pays. With congestion pricing, this inclination would be harnessed to reduce gridlock. Around San Francisco, tolls and gridlock have resulted in 'casual carpooling' in which drivers cruise by suburban transit stops and pick up commuters.
Passengers save on bus fare and get a quick ride downtown.
Drivers get to speed along in the carpool lanes and don't have to pay tolls. Yet, the study found that resistance to the Tax Shift prescription would likely not come from active opponents, but from our own inertia against change. But whether you're a conservative, liberal, or right in the middle, tax shifting makes sense. It gets taxes off our backs and onto our side. Tax Shift is also available from Northwest Environment Watch.