The Ports-to-Plains Alliance includes a significant number of local government members including cities, counties and economic development organizations, depending at least partially on public funding. Each of these organizations invest in the Ports-to-Plains Alliance and its partnership organizations. Retail tax receipts, lodging taxes and taxable property increase as new distribution, manufacturing, tourism, and roadside service jobs are created and as visitors come through the Corridor. These revenues stay in the communities and help local government provide services such as schools, parks, and other public services.
Again, the 2004 Corridor Development and Management Plan (CDMP) used its model to predict local and state tax revenues into the future as the corridor expands. The tax structure differed by states, counties, and municipalities, and the study recognized those differences in estimating tax revenue impacts.
The CDMP stated: “The total fiscal benefit of sales, income, hotel occupancy, unemployment insurance, franchise, and fuel taxes through the forecast horizon year (2030) for state and local government is estimated to be $741.97 million. Comparable estimates for individual states are $394.4 million in Colorado, $-4.4 million in New Mexico, $17.0 million in Oklahoma, and $334.9 million in Texas. Estimated tax revenues are higher in Colorado than in Texas primarily because Colorado levies an individual and corporate income tax.”
A complete summary of the CDMP findings showing revenue by states and corridor counties is available at: www.portstoplains.com/
The CDMP modeling did not project the completion of the four-lane highway across New Mexico as early as it was completed, but that portion of the corridor is complete. Traffic count increases have already exceeding the projected 12% increase in traffic because of those improvements. New Mexico and its local governments should benefit from those accelerated highway improvements.
Again, please recognize that the same types of state and local tax revenues will be increased all along the corridor and that the CDMP only evaluated the Texas to Denver, CO portion of the entire Alliance corridor that now exists.
Ports-to-Plains is a grassroots alliance of over 275 communities and businesses, including alliance partners Heartland Expressway, Theodore Roosevelt Expressway and Eastern Alberta Trade Corridor Coalition, whose mission is to advocate for a robust international transportation infrastructure to promote economic security and prosperity throughout North America’s energy and agricultural heartland including Mexico to Canada. Additional information on the Ports-to-Plains Alliance is available at www.portstoplains.com/.
(News Release from Ports-to-Plains Alliance)
