Non-Elected Board To Collect Train Tax?

Will Northwest Indiana residents start paying a train tax imposed by a non-elected board of political appointees to fund a mass transit project connecting Valparaiso and Lowell to the South Shore Train line?

Indiana State Rep. Chet Dobis (D-Merrillville) proposes a new wheel tax of up to $50 to pay for a South Shore Line extension to Lowell and Valparaiso. The new tax would be charged to vehicle owners in Lake and Porter Counties.

The Post-Tribune reports that the train tax plan would let the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority impose the tax to pay for the project that could cost $900 million.

Questions have been raised about the plan to let a non-governmental agency levy taxes, reports the Northwest Indiana Times.

State law already permits local vehicle taxes of up to $25, but Lake and Porter are not among the more than three-dozen counties that impose the levy. Dobis' plan would bypass county officials, instead giving the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority power to impose a single rate of up to $50 a year on motorists in Lake and Porter counties.

"I have serious concerns about allowing a non-elected board to impose any kind of tax," said state Rep. Dan Stevenson, D-Highland.

Other lawmakers, including some from outside the region, also questioned the wisdom of turning taxing authority over to the RDA board, which is appointed by county officials, mayors and the governor. Dobis acknowledged the "bone of contention" but suggested the scenario is no different than non-elected school boards that lord over multimillion-dollar construction projects.

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