what kind of Taxes do the American railroads pay? Almost anything to do with passengers is subsidized by the government. The freight railroads pay loads of taxes. Don't forget property tax, that's paid at the local level. However the railroads get some of that money back in aid on capital projects. Grade crossing safety upgrades don't really count; those are for the benefit of highway traffic, not the railroad. Often the government will pay for costs of installing an expensive crossing system, but then the railroad is stuck with the burden of maintenance forever. Those gates get broken off a lot. |