Friday, November 30, 2007
Split Personality
To be certain, the looming decision County Council has to make over deciding whether to enact a drink tax and a car rental tax has led to impassioned debate in the community. By this time, with a decision to come Tuesday and a Council committee already voting to approve a budget with the levies in place, you either know if you are in favor or opposed to the new taxes.
But there may be one person who has a foot in two camps. He is the chairman of VisitPittsburgh, the organization charged with selling the region to outsiders for visits, conventions, and exhibits. Many of the folks who come to visit might rent a car while they are here and would be hit by the $2 daily fee. Later—much later—they might want to enjoy a libation while they are here, and would have to pay the 10% proposed pouring fee. Those would be detrimental to the visitation business, much like the extra 1% sales tax and the 7% hotel/motel tax are now.
But this person is also a member of the Port Authority Board of Directors, charged with operating said mass transit system that is hoping to be the recipient of the revenues from the new levies so it can continue to operate. The Port Authority has been told by the County Executive that if the levies are enacted they will not be remitted to mass transit until the union agrees to concessions on operating and legacy costs.
So which camp wins the day for this person? In a newspaper quote he stated that “if this drink tax doesn’t pass, that will be the end of public transit as we know it in Pittsburgh”. While we would certainly support an end to the status quo of monopoly control, lavish benefits, and high driver pay that have made public transit as we know it here, we doubt that was the gentleman’s sentiments. Unfortunately, passing the taxes will likely continue the sad state of transit for a long time.
But there may be one person who has a foot in two camps. He is the chairman of VisitPittsburgh, the organization charged with selling the region to outsiders for visits, conventions, and exhibits. Many of the folks who come to visit might rent a car while they are here and would be hit by the $2 daily fee. Later—much later—they might want to enjoy a libation while they are here, and would have to pay the 10% proposed pouring fee. Those would be detrimental to the visitation business, much like the extra 1% sales tax and the 7% hotel/motel tax are now.
But this person is also a member of the Port Authority Board of Directors, charged with operating said mass transit system that is hoping to be the recipient of the revenues from the new levies so it can continue to operate. The Port Authority has been told by the County Executive that if the levies are enacted they will not be remitted to mass transit until the union agrees to concessions on operating and legacy costs.
So which camp wins the day for this person? In a newspaper quote he stated that “if this drink tax doesn’t pass, that will be the end of public transit as we know it in Pittsburgh”. While we would certainly support an end to the status quo of monopoly control, lavish benefits, and high driver pay that have made public transit as we know it here, we doubt that was the gentleman’s sentiments. Unfortunately, passing the taxes will likely continue the sad state of transit for a long time.
