• "Toll Booths"

• "Uncle!" She Cried

Toll Booths

Canadian User Fee... continued.

Actually I came up with this idea about ten years ago, but it still has merit even in these modern times. The problem as I see it is our expensive life style. No I’m not going to harp about the BMW’s and Mercedes in the parking lot of the marinas, but rather the “state” of the State of Vermont. Our constant insistence on “local government” is expensive. With local school boards, town road crews, and police lurking on every corner our cost of government is considerable. There is something to be said about the “Vermont life style”. It is expensive to maintain but I contend we have reached our limits and it is time for change.

In New Jersey they have a wonderful and effective means of collecting taxes. It’s called a toll booth. Now for those unfortunate souls who have never been on the Garden State Parkway during rush hour, you can only imagine four lanes of traffic, slowing down from 75+ to throw $.35 into a toll basket . Imagine being the hapless person who misses the basket and decides to follow the instructions in the toll both sitting there blowing your horn for assistance while 10.000 cars are backed up behind you, patiently waiting.

If it’s good enough for New Jersey then it must be good enough for Vermont. After all, half of New Jersey moved here in the 70’s. I propose installing three toll booth on Lake Champlain. The first would be located under the bridge at Rouses Point. The second in the railway cut in Malletts Bay and the third under the draw bridge at Tudhope Marine. Like the Lincoln Tunnel between New Jersey and New York City, have the toll only upon entering Vermont. This would insure getting the most out of the system with the least amount of effort.

Of course there would be some small problems. Those damn Canadian coins don’t work in our toll booths. Now that Canada has the one dollar coin, designated the loonie for the Loon on the coin, and the newest two dollar coin affectionately called the toonie, we will have to have toll collectors on station to unplug the baskets. It should all work itself out and go fairly smooth, except for coffee, lunch and cigarette breaks. Imagine the back ups at the Malletts Bay Cut an hour before sunset when the toll collector drops the gate and steps out for a smoke?

But hope is not all lost. On my last trip to New Jersey I noticed some cars had Bar Code stickers on their doors. All the cars had to do was slow down to 10 miles an hour while going through the booth and the scanner will read their credit card number. I’m sure we could retrofit a similar system for boats on Lake Champlain.

the Harbormaster

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"Uncle!" She Cried

ell here I go again, part three in a series brought to you by the Vermont Ways and Means Committee.

Several weeks ago we wrote about the “Good ole' days, when marinas were full, boats increased in value and yacht clubs had a 10 year waiting list.” We wrote about how Vermont was charging out of state visitors a use tax on their boat. Canadians were being forced to keep their boat on the NY side, or else pay a huge penalty. When called the State Police confirmed our story. Canadians or any other visiting boater were required to pay after 30 days. With the repeal of the “user fee” Vermont should begin to see more out of state visitors at our marinas. Unfortunately it will be July before the law is in effect and what ever chance Vermont marinas had in picking up new customers will be lost. Dockage, hauling and storage contracts have been signed by then. Vermont will have to wait until the spring of ’97.

Don’t hold your breath until then, because even if you think Vermont is worth it, the Vermont Validation Sticker law is unchanged. Given a choice of equal facilities, one with an extra charge of up to $100 our out of state visitors will continue to be just that, out-of-state.

Wake up Vermont. This tax is like a one of the toll booths on the Garden State Parkway. I’ve never heard of anyone who goes to New Jersey on vacation, except folks from New York City who think New Jersey is the "Garden State" and compared to living in Manhattan it probably is.

We twisted your arm once and you cried "uncle" and repealed an unfair tax, now do the smart thing again and make Vermont a place people will want to come and spend their money. Eliminate the Validation Sticker law.

the Harbormaster