Link to article here.
This is great news for taxpayers. The habit of raiding road taxes and tolls for non-road purposes is rampant among government agencies, and it's high time they're held to account and make the taxpayers whole for their breach of trust and violation of truth in taxation. This revival of the once dormant commerce clause is long overdue!
New York: Court Declares Toll Diversion Illegal
Federal judge finds New York toll road system violated the constitution by using motorist funds to subsidize recreational facilities.
August 16, 2016
The Newspaper.com
Motorists will no longer be forced to pay road tolls to fund New York's 525-mile network of barge canals thanks to a federal court ruling handed down last week. The American Trucking Associations sued the state, arguing that road users have paid over a billion dollars in tolls that enriched the New York State Canal System without any tangible benefits for the highway system. US District Court Judge Colleen McMahon agreed that the diversion of tolls for non-motoring purposes was unconstitutional.
Judge McMahon had initially tossed the lawsuit on technical grounds, but she was shot down by the Second Circuit US Court of Appeals, which sent the case back for a ruling on the merits. The second time around, Judge McMahon sided with the truckers.