$100 annual fee only for EV owners

[wdb]

Originally Posted by mort

I've been pushing a tire tax.
-mort

Nice idea. It may need a bit of tweaking to accomodate wear rates but otherwise seems very straightforward.

[niky]

So... Given typical wear rates on van tires... $2,000 a set in tax?

[Xist]

My dad is Canadian. He said that gas tax should be enough to cover road maintenance. When I read Mort's suggestion I asked what he thought and he responded that he would not be able to afford tires.

According to National and State Gas Taxes (Fuel Taxes) in the United States - GasPriceWatch.com, we pay 55.8¢ a gallon for taxes. If my dad averages 45 MPG then his taxes are 1.24¢ per mile. If his tires last 60,000 miles, then he will pay $744 in gas tax during the life of his tires.

However, I usually only manage 23 MPG, so I am taxed $1,455 for the gas required to wear out my tires.

What if they varied the tax based on how economical the tires are? Less for LRR and more for off-road tires?

Hey, I do not like paying taxes, not for gas, not for tires, and not for playing World of Warcraft (yes, that is taxed, too).

I do not feel much better if someone else is taxed instead of me.

[Xist]

Originally Posted by radioranger

wait till they start charging every body for miles driven , besides the gas tax, GPS in every car, course it's already tracking your phone if they need to . eventually shoe tax, at what point do we change management.

When I heard about the current President wanting GPS transponders so that we could be taxed per mile I thought "We are already being taxed! We buy gas!"

I would really rather they increased the gas [or tire] tax instead of complicating life further and the only time that I speed is down a hill. Something else that would actually reduce my mileage?

Then there is my sister. I visualize her purchasing some shiny new car, taking it on the highway, and having "$130 fine for driving 75 in a 65" spoken by her car and appearing on a display. In theory, tickets could continue (and increase) as the driver continues speeding.

At the same time, how much does the Highway Patrol cost?

At any rate, we are getting closer: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...55534169,d.aWM

If they taxed our mileage, they would need deductions. Let's say that you drive a Prius all over the country teaching kids to avoid predators. Why should you be taxed the same as someone that drives a huge SUV when a Jetta TDI would suit all of their needs?

Or an electric, old Civic... trying to include everybody.

[radioranger]

They're ain't no more free in freedom I guess. never was, got to fight for it, next we'll see black box tracking devices in every car and websites devoted to blocking them .

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Xist

When I heard about the current President wanting GPS transponders so that we could be taxed per mile I thought "We are already being taxed! We buy gas!"

And people used to complain about his predecessor, who was actually way better than him.

[Frank Lee]

bwaahaha. quit while you're only a little behind.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

I know, some electric car enthusiasts hate Bush because he funded researches for Hydrogen-powered cars (which actually I consider quite dumb too) instead of battery-electric vehicles...

[Xist]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

And people used to complain about his predecessor, who was actually way better than him.

I had a girl claim on Facebook that she hardly talked to me anymore because I was always pushing politics on her--I did not start following them until the end of the election, after she randomly stopped responding to my "Hey! How are you doing?" messages.

I was not paying attention, so I try to not say too much about George W's presidency. A while ago I thought about how, if a person likes a President, they attribute good things that happened during his presidency to him, while blaming the previous President for the bad things. However, if they do not like him, they blame him for current stuff, and credit the previous President for good things. I found some interesting articles from the New York Times, Washington Post, etc, which I shared on Facebook, yet somehow most of my posts are gone.

Hating George W. is alive and well. However, even if I happen to agree with what you say, I would rather not discuss Presidents here.

[order99]

Personally speaking, I don't think one President was any worse than the other-Bush and cabinet were just more ham-fisted and blatant in their complete disregard of Law, whereas Obama performs the same chicanery in a Velvet Glove. Red or Blue-I don't care if I get mugged by a Blood or a Crip, i'm still mugged...

My issue is that we already pay a tax on cars-sales tax for purchase and parts, tax on license and tags, tax on gasoline and diesel, tax on electricity for EVs...you just KNOW that none of those taxes will be rescinded in favor of a for-use flat tax or per-mile tax, just added on top of the rest. A flat for-use tax would be the easiest one to implement and require no modifications to vehicles or incursions into our Constitutional Rights-naturally I have NO hope that the Federal Government will pick that solution.

I'm afraid that this is just part of a vicious cycle i've noticed for decades:

Great Depression-no jobs.
Solution-move back to the land, save every scrap, live on the sweat of your brow farming, trade with your neighbors and treat cash as an unnecessary luxury.
Government Interference-reinstitute the Land Tax because the Uncle Sam can't find a way to take 10% of your chickens and profit thereby.

Bonecrushing Poverty and Urban Blight in the 1990's thru 2000's.
Solution-reclaim abandoned property as Common Ground and plant gardens. Create new Victory Gardens at home. Try Hydroponics and UV for indoor goodness.Rain barrel reclamation and home filtration.
Government interference-Steal back the commons nobody wanted before, fence it in and charge admission to tourists(looking at YOU NY!). Passing local 'beauty' ordinances that classify outdoor gardens as 'weeds' and plow them under. Warrantless home intrusion and illegal search and seizure under the auspices of the War on Minorities-um, I mean the War on Drugs of course. Outlaw water harvesting.

Going Off-grid in my rural area.
Solutions-modify house for solar or wind. Add a manual pump to well in case of power interruption. Plan a Battery shack and begin cost evaluation of Solar vs Wind.
Government Interference-Import taxes that drive the cost of Solar thru the roof, 'subsidies' on Solar that nobody at the Permit office can make sense of. Upon choosing Wind instead (I can make a decent generator for $100.00 a unit) was informed of new 'maximum height' ordinance that would not allow construction past the treeline to get the windflow. Get informed by owner he was going to get exemption by declaring his house a place of worship('that's right, a 40 foot steeple! And LEGAL!'I still might. )Refuse to allow permit for Utility Shack within 100 feet of house but unable to find the laws forbidding it.The suspension of all Well permits, followed by the building of local pipeline at tax-payer expense and then demanding a 'hook-up' fee even though it was already paid for. Threats to declare all groundwater contaminated and pour concrete into all the local wells before purity could actually be determined.Backpedaling at Mach Speed when faced with hundreds of lawsuits and an entire mob of farmers who just happened to show up at the Courthouse with proof of firearms ownership but no guns in sight-THIS time.

Housing the poor.
Solution-design more efficient, inexpensive, smaller and less wasteful housing. Create houses out of Pallets and Cargo containers that still meet Codes. Create Greywater recycling window gardens and composting toilets. Place Tiny Houses on wheels for that fit RV codes, offer them for emergency relief to disaster victims or sale to those who prefer the open road.
Government interference-refuse to acknowledge any waste disposal system other than City Sewers or Septic Tanks (looking at YOU NC). Ignoring offers of free housing during Katrina and shoving residents into a filthy stadium and leaving them there to starve(looking at YOU LA). Finally opting for overpriced trailers full of poison-lined sheetrock, then trying to foist them off on Haiti during an earthquake(three cheers for FEMA everyone!).Piling up local and state laws that drive DIY housing higher than contracted building. Refusal to rezone any property for RV use even though tourism could only increase as a result (NIMBY is awesome!). The arrival of 'Gated Communities' who then complain about all the economy housing that WAS HERE FIRST!

I swear, at this point-assuming I can sell my house at decent value-i'm going to purchase a gently-used RV, rent a lot for a year, Solarize the heck out of it...cause the landlord much head-scratching as I attach a deck with PONTOONS, grab a Boat license and set sail before anyone notices anything, pick up a used barge or ferry in salvageable condition and create a floating flatbed with Straw-bale garden and moor in fresh water, moving as I wish. I'm still interested in good housing but by this point i'm just as interested in watching local governments fall down foaming at the mouth at the Guy Who Found A Loophole..

Sigh. Sorry, I try not to get too political on Ecomodder, but 'screw common sense' laws get my blood boiling. Rant mode off.

Hey lookit all these soapboxes! Mine!
(grabs free timber and runs before some idiot passes a 'litter is property of the State' law)