Good grief... I heard a brief blurb on the news this evening as I was waiting for the weather that there is a proposal up about taxing us for the number of miles we drive in a year. Wasn't paying close attention, so I'm not sure if it was local or national, but I'm thinking it was local, and about one of the most idiotic things I've heard. Of course, I'll be looking up more tomorrow to see if I can find out the details. What is wrong with us as a nation that people can even come up with stuff like that and not be afraid that they'll be tarred and feathered?
I think the tar and feathers are getting prepared soon the way some people talk.
Tax on tar is too high and PETA wont let you use real feathers d* d* d* I say we bring back public hangings,..........Hmmmm ??? Hemp rope is illegal too though ain't it?!?!
It is a group of lobbiests (mostly from the oil companies) pushing this. I have not heard anyone in congress seriously considering it. It is because they want the road tax pushed on people with hybrid vehicles instead of SUV's. This way people use more gas for less miles. A tax on miles would be instead of the road tax on gas. The congressional subcommittee said that it would be way too expensive to impliment and the current system was better.
I had just caught a brief thing about it in between segments of the news... but didn't hear who had proposed it or if it was local or federal. We already pay taxes on the gas we buy, so driving more miles already equals more tax dollars.... just sounds stupid to me, and we're idiots if we let something happen like that.
Let's see
economy tanking
solution --Raise taxes
btw they are already taxing cars by the mile in parts of England IIRC
Glad my odometer broke ;D
peter,
They would just use the fuel mileage from the manufacturer and then estimate how much you drive to calculate the tax you owe.
Glad My truck is broken [toilet]
Wonder what they'll do if everybody starts riding bikes?
Eventually, a tax on miles traveled on public roads will be necessary to replace the tax on motor fuels. If we are successful in reducing the amount of fuels purchased through energy company filling stations, fewer gallons will be used resulting in lowered tax revenues.
Someone has to pay for the roads we drive on and that is us. That money is collected from us in the form of some sort of tax. Historically that has been from motor fuel taxes. However, it could come from a distance traveled tax as well. To me, a mileage would be more fair than a flat rate tax based on a whim or some formula tied to CO2 emissions.
In Ireland one first pays a tax based on engine size, then a tax based on CO2 emissions. Then they also pay a gasoline tax and a VAT (value added tax). FYI, as of Dec '08 the gas taxes amounted to about $3.50 a gallon; slightly less though on bio-fuels.)
Anyhow, wouldn't a tax based on miles traveled on the roads be more equitable than any other taxes? The vehicle and emissions taxes are the same for someone who travels 100 miles or 100,000 miles in a year. Fuel based taxes exempt hybrid and electric vehicle drivers at the expense of others.
However, I do not believe this will be implemented in any foreseeable future. The bugaboo is, how to measure the mileage in millions of vehicles? The actual reading of odometers is impractical. This would require the installation of GPS devices that would automatically record and report.
What would happen if everyone started riding bikes, is a fair question. The answer is the money to pay for roads would have to come from somewhere else. A different tax. Maybe a bicycle purchase tax, or a bicycle mileage tax. Road maintenance costs should be reduced in such a scenario so perhaps the overall tax rate could be lessened.
I'm thinking I'll buy a mule. Put a big sign on its rear that says "tax this". Ride it wherever I go pulling a small wagon full of kiddos. Maybe the dogs would like a ride, too. They'd probably put a methane production tax on it, though.
Don,
My understanding of electric cars is that during registration you pay a higher rate which goes toward road maint. etc. I might be wrong. A friend of mine in Colorado said he saw on the news some guy was going on about how he drives a diesel converted to veggie-oil so he pays no fuel tax. Apparently someone in enforcement saw his interview and a week or so later he was pulled over and arrested. Anybody know if this is true?
Being arrested for running non taxed fuel (biodiesel) has happened. If you read the law it's the same thing as running road tax exempt farm fuel on the highway.
Paying a special tax on the hybrid/electric vehicle rubs me wrong. I do not like special taxes on "things".
When fossil fuel was plentiful and cheap and almost everyone used lots it made sense to tax that fuel for roads. With declining use per vehicle on average there are fewer dollars collected per vehicle. Paying a special tax on the hybrid is a band aid solution, IMO. If the current tax collection system is beginning to fail a complete overhaul makes more sense in the long run. A flat rate tax like that penalizes the person who drives less than the normal average.
In Europe they pay taxes on TV's, just because they own one, or two. It's an annual thing not a one time thing. Different but similar, in that they are taxing the ownership of "things".
I remember Clinton proposing a VAT tax, so it seems, at least with the Dems, that they're looking at a more European method of taxation. Which I thought was one of the reasons why a few of my ancestors fought in a revolution. Be that as it may, I just look at what's been going on and think that's the path they're taking us down.
A tax on miles driven which is also based on the efficiency of the vehicle is probably more fair as it would not penalize those people who reduce how much they drive and/or purchase a fuel efficient vehicle.
Quote from: pagancelt on April 30, 2009, 10:49:17 AM
Don,
My understanding of electric cars is that during registration you pay a higher rate which goes toward road maint. etc. I might be wrong. A friend of mine in Colorado said he saw on the news some guy was going on about how he drives a diesel converted to veggie-oil so he pays no fuel tax. Apparently someone in enforcement saw his interview and a week or so later he was pulled over and arrested. Anybody know if this is true?
That's exactly why I always pay taxes...hell, I'd pay extra if they'd let me. A curse on those people who have whizzers or put farm diesel in their trucks or disconnect their odometers.
But the worst of the bunch are those tax evading Joggers. May their tennis shoes melt! :)
Well, I'm taking a simplistic view in that I was looking at the original intent of the motor fuel tax, which was to collect money to pay for roads. It was not to penalize people for producing CO2 or to reward them for reducing CO2 emissions. The two things are connected, but individual parts.
I don't know the best way to sort it out and be equitable as well as not costing a fortune in hardware or encroaching on rights. The GPS tracker bothers me from a personal liberty view. Someone could break into the system and see where your vehicles are at any time, not to mention Big Brother.
Quote from: peternap on April 30, 2009, 11:08:50 AM
But the worst of the bunch are those tax evading Joggers. May their tennis shoes melt! :)
Need a sneaker tax I guess. d*
One of the proponents of this tax is a US rep from the northern part of our state (James Oberstar) :(. It is VERY DFL up there.
The funny thing is that they have been making highway 53 into a 4 lane highway, with the goal for it to reach International Falls. This is Mr Oberstar's pet project. Not that I'm complaining, because we use it to get within 10 miles of our vacation land....
I think it's funny though, that on one hand he seems to be embracing the auto as a form of transportation, and on the other he is helping to kill it. We'll have to evaluate just how often we make the 3 1/2 hr drive up north if they start taking mileage.
Don't even get me started about the government placing GPS devices in our private autos...A very bad idea if you're a lover of personal freedom.
Quote from: Homegrown Tomatoes on April 30, 2009, 10:40:49 AM
I'm thinking I'll buy a mule. Put a big sign on its rear that says "tax this". Ride it wherever I go pulling a small wagon full of kiddos. Maybe the dogs would like a ride, too. They'd probably put a methane production tax on it, though.
rofl [rofl2]