This is a long-standing political issue. Much has been written on waterway cost recovery, but most of it is old. Congressional Budget Office study from the 1980s says "User fees now in effect recover approximately 10 percent of the Corps
of Engineers costs of operating and maintaining the inland waterway
system."[1]
The Waterways Council (the barge industry's lobby) talks a lot about cost-benefit ratios of barge operations and why their infrastructure should be subsidized.[2] They argue that lower pollution and less infrastructure cost per ton mile justifies Federal spending. They're probably not wrong.
Thanks for that CBO document. Yeah, I wish I knew what the percentage was now. Certainly the tax is higher than in the 80s.
There are some perverse outcomes. In South Florida, I see boats doing nothing but advertising, floating billboards, causing drawbridges to open. I have no idea if they are paying the excise tax.
The Waterways Council (the barge industry's lobby) talks a lot about cost-benefit ratios of barge operations and why their infrastructure should be subsidized.[2] They argue that lower pollution and less infrastructure cost per ton mile justifies Federal spending. They're probably not wrong.
[1] https://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/98th-congress-1983-1...
[2] https://waterwayscouncil.org/media/press-releases