If Torontonians ever decided they should actually pay for transit improvements maybe operation shortfalls wouldn't be such an issue. Queen's Park this and Ottawa that in terms of funding but the idea of Toronto actually having a pure transit tax seems to be heresy. Toronto bitched at McGuinty forever to get revenue tools so the province finally brought in The City of Toronto Act but hasn't done anything with those new found taxing powers.
Part of the problem is that municipalities only get like 8% of the taxes, where as the province gets 42% and federal gets 50%
Really, Toronto just wants its fair share, to pay for day to day interactions.
And a transit tax is a bad idea for the simple reason of the GTA existing.
I have no numbers for this, but I'm sure there are a good deal of TTC riders that don't live in Toronto.
They wouldn't be paying that tax.
Conversely, if they do pay find a way for them to pay that tax, someone in the 905 isn't going to want fund Toronto transit expansion.
Even if we got some sort of regional transit integration across all transit providers, many will not like having to pay for expansion elsewhere.
GO Transit doesn't work in Toronto for a simple reason: Distance-based fares
You can travel across Toronto on the TTC on a single cash fare $3, whereas, for example, Exhibition to Union is $5.20
You can travel across the rest of the GTA on a single fare as well.
Further more, all GO Transit travel essentially goes to Union. Which is useless if you want anywhere else.