Meredith Warren is absolutely correct that Massachusetts should collect highway tolls near the New Hampshire state line (“State should erect tolls for N.H. commuters”).
Besides the fairness of New Hampshire residents contributing to Massachusetts road and bridge maintenance, the tolls would be a disincentive to Massachusetts residents who cross the state line for tax-free shopping in New Hampshire and illegally choose not to acknowledge the purchases on their annual tax returns. With tolling in place to discourage this routine tax evasion, we wouldn’t need the annual Massachusetts sales tax holidays.
The feasibility of Warren’s suggestion is also supported by the availability of electronic tolling technology, which doesn’t require the labor costs of traditional tollbooths. It’s high time we started charging for use of the north-south highways the same way we have always charged for east-west travel.
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