A Step in the Right Direction?

[Big Dave]

Another d****d tax. Not acceptable.

[Christ]

Screw set mileage tax, and screw fuel tax altogether.

You wanna make moar moneyz?

Charge people based on their MPG vs. the EPA rating for their car. You can't get the EPA rating, at the very least - YOU pay the $3.00 a gallon for gas...

If you get EPA on average, you pay less... the more you go over EPA, you pay a percentage less again.

Not based on single trip data, either, based on real averages, like a 90-day rolling average.

So, f.i. - I get 20% higher than EPA, and under EPA gas price is $3.00 a gallon - I pay $2.00 a gallon for at least getting EPA rating, then, I get a break even further for getting another 20% OVER EPA rating.

Frankly, it's EASY AS HELL to get EPA rating in any vehicle, to the extent that I've never gotten LESS, even loaded down. (most of the time, anyway... loaded down, I've gotten less occaisionally)

This makes it indifferent to whether your car weighs a ton or an ounce, but gives benefit to those of us who actually drive with the intention of getting there safely and as cheaply (economically cheap and monetarily cheap) as possible.

Someone mentioned that e-vehicles (which don't need gasoline) could get away without paying the road taxes... I'm sure a government that can think of this kind of "crap" way of taxing the public can think of a way to get around this loophole... and you and I both know they would.

[Snax]

The one issue that none of us has touched yet is cost of implementation. Taxing fuel is easy, and the system to manage it is already in place. Taxing mileage via transponders etc. requires investing in a whole new set of monitoring equipment, management, reliability, and potential fraud issues. My bet is that somebody in the industry that sells this technology is behind the push to put it into place.

And apparently, for those not in Oregon, this proposal is still very much on the table with our governor. It's letter time Oregonians!

[Snax]

Originally Posted by Snax

And apparently, for those not in Oregon, this proposal is still very much on the table with our governor. It's letter time Oregonians!

The Governor has been given my $.02.

[Matt Herring]

Originally Posted by Snax

The Governor has been given my $.02.

Did you give it to him in the form of a check, cash or credit card for the new mileage tax?

[trikkonceptz]

Originally Posted by Snax

The one issue that none of us has touched yet is cost of implementation. Taxing fuel is easy, and the system to manage it is already in place. Taxing mileage via transponders etc. requires investing in a whole new set of monitoring equipment, management, reliability, and potential fraud issues. My bet is that somebody in the industry that sells this technology is behind the push to put it into place.

And apparently, for those not in Oregon, this proposal is still very much on the table with our governor. It's letter time Oregonians!

Funny you mention that ... On basiccally all road in Florida I am starting to see these road posts that have cameras and sensors on them. It looks like it could read our sunpass devices and basically has been implemented without any of our knowledge or approval. My guess is, we are next in some sort of "program" to monitor our driving habits. Who knows, I may have to make an effort and stop a cop to see if they know what those big brother devices are ..

[Matt Herring]

Trik -

They might be speeding sensors. A friend of mine in Texas got a speeding ticket in the mail with a pic of her license plate and an invoice with her speed and the posted speed. About 10 years ago they had the same system in place on the QEW (road from Buffalo to Toronto) and it was for speed enforcement. A guy running for government won the ticket based solely on the fact that he promised to remove the system if elected. The QEW is basically the Audobon in Canada.

[Doofus McFancypants]

This topic was on the radio this AM. and i have to say - I think there is a solid basic argument for something OTHER than Gas Tax.

Maintining roads / bridges takes $$
Cars who use the road are using those services.
So those who use it should pay for there use of it.

Gas tax was easy - but getting outdated

But.... ( And not to pick on BEN here - but he is going to be GAS FREE)
Ben's Electric Metro IS using the highway and causing ( all-be-it small) some wear on the roadway surface. Once his Truck is done and he is on Bio-D he wil have another not using any gas. Should he not pay for the maintaince of that roadway?

Or to put it another way - Should I, even with my hypermileing and furgal use of gas, have to pay for HIS use because i am not off gas?

I will agree that a WEIGHT component does need to be captures as well - cause an H2 will cause more damage per mile than a metro.

But listening to the arguments - GAS tax has to go away and be replaced with something else....

GPS tracking systems can be hacked and mis-used. Odometers can be messed with as well.

Maybe a BlackBox tracking only mileage and "bulletproof"?

Not sure - but something will have to change

[shovel]

I think a fuel tax is already, and still perfect for 2009 because it IS an incentive to make your vehicle more efficient, to make better purchase decisions, to go alternative fuel, etc. So in a way, gas guzzlers are subsidizing EV's, and for right now that's perfect.

As has been mentioned, heavier vehicles naturally get worse mileage (for the most part) and also do more damage to the roads. Perfect.

I can imagine in 10 years we'll need a new plan as EV's and such become more prevalent and it's good to start thinking about it now.... but today in 2009, what 1 in 10000 vehicles on the road are not fueled by gasoline?

[Matt Herring]

Article I picked up on drudgereport.com about proposed tax by the mile driven rather than by the gallon. I don't believe this favors hypermilers (at least those that drive alot but maximize fuel efficiency). Instead of getting the most of out of a gallon we would actually be taxed by the mile now (of course we would still save on fuel used but the savings might be offset by miles driven). And, assuming fuel prices will balloon again at some point this tax could be painful if you drive alot of miles. Still, the less gas you use the better you are making out.

AP Interview: Transportation secretary says taxing how much we drive may replace gasoline tax -- Newsday.com