It is difficult to convince people who own cars, often one for each driver in the family, to tax themselves to provide public transportation for their friends and neighbors who cannot afford the convenience of private cars. But that is what the County Regional Transit Gross Receipts Tax Question is asking us to do.
The South Central Regional Transit District would unite three counties (Sierra, Otero, and Doña Ana) and eight municipalities into a single transit district. The provision of regularly scheduled public transportation would provide people in the region with a way to and from work, community services, and amenities. Not owning and maintaining a private car precludes people from taking advantage of services such as health care, shopping, educational opportunities, that are available in the population hubs of the area. Having a regional public transportation system would eliminate this major constraint and would improve the quality of life for many individuals.
The construction and maintenance of roads and highways has been paid for with taxpayers' funding. Why can’t public transportation for those who do not own vehicles also be subsidized with public funding when it is clearly to the benefit of the community?
The use of the regressive gross receipts tax to fund this program is not ideal. It falls more heavily on those who spend a greater percentage of their income on consuming the necessities of life. Still, it offers a source of funding that is not too onerous (one-quarter of one percent) on the taxpayer. If passed, it will benefit all the people in the region, but particularly Doña Ana County, the largest population center in southern New Mexico.
The League of Women Voters of Greater Las Cruces supports the ballot measure to increase the County Regional Transit Gross Receipts Tax for the purpose of funding public transportation, and urges citizens to vote FOR the question on the general election ballot.