Alternative tax for drivers

[zeitgeist]

Unintended consequences?  or   No really, ya think?

http://upload.democraticunderground.com/1073445

Shankapotomus (1,696 posts)

Oregon looks at per-mile tax on gas sippers
Last edited Fri Jan 4, 2013, 05:34 PM USA/ET - Edit history (1)

Source:http://www.columbian.com/news/2013/jan/03/oregon-looks-at-per-mile-tax-on-gas-sippers/

"SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- Oregon state officials are proposing an alternative tax for drivers who have bought efficient or electric vehicles that seldom or never stop at the gasoline pump -- where government has traditionally collected money to build and fix roads.
But the automaking industry calls the idea of mileage taxes another roadblock for efficient vehicles.
In its upcoming session, the Oregon Legislature is expected to consider a bill to require drivers with a vehicle getting at least 55 miles per gallon of gasoline or the equivalent to pay a per-mile tax after 2015.
Because it raises taxes, such legislation would need approval by three-fifths votes in both the House and Senate.
The tax would be based on mileage reports that could be made in a variety of ways, such as via smartphone app or GPS technology. Drivers could also pay..."

continued...

Why are none of the legislators proposing this bill named???

And, why is it not mentioned that electric car owners would be "fueling up" from the electric grid, which is already taxed! So the revenue generated from fueling up at the pump would not be lost, only transferred to the electric grid tax.

Obviously, I am not an anti-government, anti-tax nut but it looks like legislators have not accounted for the electricity tax that would kick in for electric car owners or are they trying to pull a fast one on Oregon tax payers?

I'm not from Oregon so maybe I'm missing something???

And once again Amerika's best and brightest stumble upon a stone.  How, How, I ask you, could this happen? 

Maven (7,673 posts)
1. I wonder what oil company is behind this shit

Never gonna happen. Not once the public gets wind of it...bastards
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Response to Maven (Reply #1)
Fri Jan 4, 2013, 06:06 PM
 Shankapotomus (1,696 posts)
2. I don't know

but the electric car companies don't like it.

Someone mentioned on another board they are pretty sure it will not pass, as indeed it shouldn't.

However, even if it passed, it should be made clear electric car owners still wouldn't be paying for gas. It would be more like just paying the gas tax every time you filled up.

Nice sig, btw.
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Response to Shankapotomus (Original post)
Fri Jan 4, 2013, 06:35 PM
ProgressiveProfessor (19,987 posts)
3. Historically fuel taxes paid for roads

Heavier/less fuel efficient cars used more gas, and therefore paid more taxes. Hi milers did the same. With everyone using gasoline, it was a reasonable model. However with light to medium sized cars that pay practically no fuel taxes growing in popularity, how do you suggest Oregon pay for roads and road repair?

Looks like the little professor answers Skank's question.  I didn't see a single socialist road comment but then this is a very small campfire.  One good wizz could put it out.



Gee who'd thunk someone had to pay for the roads and that it would be the ones who used them?   

[Randy]

It only seems fair to me. Internal combustion vehicles and the taxes levied on them built the  current road system.  The roads, along with the vehicles are  in decline. Fairness dictates that taxes and fees electric vehicles pay is used to fix the infrastructure they expect to use. 

[MrsSmith]

Not that the Republicans don't vote for taxes (obviously    ), but these idiots consistently vote for the party that can't find any limit to what they want to tax, or how much to spend, and yet are constantly shocked when new tax ideas show up.   

I'm just waiting for wind and solar to really go over big.  The government will lose so much on traditional energy taxes that they will "be forced" to tax you for the wind that blows by your house and the sunlight that falls on it. 

[Vagabond]

If the gasoline tax money were actually earmarked for road repair and maintenance, there would still be plenty of money available in those funds.  The fact is that gas tax money is put in the general fund and then spent anyway the politicians see fit. 

[GOBUCKS]

I'm just waiting for wind and solar to really go over big.

The Savior's Second Coming will be here long before that happens.

[JohnnyReb]

The Savior's Second Coming will be here long before that happens.

The Chicago Jesus is soon to have his second cumming.

[miskie]

Frankly, I have no problem with the notion of road taxes based on miles driven versus gas tax - But we all know that the way government works - They will eventually make both gas taxes AND mileage taxes apply to everyone.

Mileage taxes to fix roads.
Gas tax to punish evil people with expensive to feed vehicles and businesses.

[DumbAss Tanker]

It's really a non-problem...those cars becoming 'Increasingly common' is entirely a relative thing, like worrying about how cold you're going to get once you're a mile from home in a Florida-to-Baffin-Island hike...and the numbers would be even more trivial than they are, but for all the tax subsidies and credits they get.  End those and the problem will go away, at least until there is two-orders-of-magnitude improvement in battery efficiency and it comes in at the same consumer price as the present stuff.

[I_B_Perky]

An unintended consequence of federal mileage standards. Typical.

[Chris_]

Maybe if local governments used fuel taxes for their intended purposes and not for fancy shit like greenways (which should really be under the parks department), maybe they wouldn't have a budget problem with electric and hybrid cars.

Yeah, I'm looking at you Karl Dean.