Taxes by the mile?

[PorscheGAL]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,475507,00.html

Saw this story this morning? WTF.

[GothingNC]

They are also looking into taxing by the mile in NC.

[Rick V]

Yeah lets go and charge me by the mile, since I work in town and live in the boondocks. Great way for me to just keep on loving the quiet of the country that I chose to live in, instead of the noisy and overcrowded area where I work. Yeah we live free, as long as we can afford to pay for it. Crap like this makes me want to move to Montana and live in the mountains, hermit style.

[widgeon13]

Once again it's a stupid move aimed at taxing those that have less and benefiting those that can afford options. This country is well on the way to a rebellion!

Let me see, I can't afford the high real estate prices near my work and I don't get paid that much because I'm in a starting position so the state is going to fuch me worse and make me pay even more for the convenience of commuting. WTF is wrong with these legislatures. Do they think people drive just for fun.

[ruf-porsche]

If they eliminated the gas tax, I wouldn't mind paying for tax by the mile. I live in a high rise condo and the higher you live in the building, the more your assessments are.

If there were no roads out to those boonies area will you still be living there? Roads and maintenance of roads cost money and people that use them should pay for the privilege of using the roads.

[Jim Richards]

Why is a mileage tax more interesting than a simple increase in the gas tax?

[widgeon13]

Pretty silly when you consider the cost of administering, probably cost more than it would generate.

[Rick V]

Originally Posted by ruf-porsche

If there were no roads out to those boonies area will you still be living there? Roads and maintenance of roads cost money and people that use them should pay for the privilege of using the roads.

I do pay for the privilege of driving on the roads that I use, gas tax, personal property taxes, vehicle licensing taxes, Here in Va, everything has a tax on it. (on top of the federal taxes)I don't live in the boonies because I can't afford to live in town, I live here because if I lived in town I would be in jail for choking the ever living crap out of someone for disturbing me when I am in the privacy of my own home.
We don't need new and creative ways of taking more money from the citizens, we need a better, and more responsible way of spending the money that is already taken away.

[Aurel]

Originally Posted by widgeon13

Pretty silly when you consider the cost of administering, probably cost more than it would generate.

Exactly. And what is the innovation over gas tax anyways? The more you drive, the more you use gas, ain`t it? Actually, it would be unfair to people who have fuel efficient vehicles, because a hybrid would pay the same tax as a SUV hog. Ohh, I see, that is the whole point. Fuel efficient vehicles+low gas prices=not enough gas tax revenue to maintain roads. Well, how about saving tax money somewhere else instead of creating a new tax that favors gas hogs? That proposal look even sillier in view of all the green laws being passed these days...

[Jim Richards]

I think an increased gas tax covers the reduced revenue, and creates an incentive for those with gas hogs to get more fuel efficient. A drastic reduction in pork projects, and better overall use of the highway funds is critical, too.

[ruf-porsche]

Originally Posted by widgeon13

Pretty silly when you consider the cost of administering, probably cost more than it would generate.

But it will create more JOBS.

LOL

[widgeon13]

More jobs for people who don't want to work in the first place.

[Noah930]

Ridiculous, IMO. Oregon apparently explored that option because the govt there was concerned that non-gasoline powered cars (or hybrids, I suppose) would avoid using gasoline, so that gas taxes wouldn't be generated for road maintenance.

So let's tax people by mileage, rather than amount of gas used. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of developing fuel efficient vehicles? That's forward thinking.

The only way I see something like this being reasonable, would be if the govt/DMV decided that this type of taxation would replace the vehicle registration fees/excise taxes that are assessed annually and are usually based upon some valuation of the vehicle. So if you drive a Veyron, but only do so 1000 miles a year, then you're taxed upon the 1000 miles, and not the $1.6 mil the car is worth. If you have a craptastic 1985 Chevy Cavalier worth $100, but drive it 10K miles/year, then you get a registration fee based upon those 10K miles. After all, that's what's fair, right?

[KaptKaos]

Originally Posted by Noah930

Ridiculous, IMO. Oregon apparently explored that option because the govt there was concerned that non-gasoline powered cars (or hybrids, I suppose) would avoid using gasoline, so that gas taxes wouldn't be generated for road maintenance.

So let's tax people by mileage, rather than amount of gas used. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of developing fuel efficient vehicles? That's forward thinking.

You misunderstand. It's not about fuel efficient vehicles, or other green concerns, it's about revenue. You really think that they spend those gas tax dollars on road projects? It's all in the general fund.

[pwd72s]

Uh, think about it...re-read the article carefully. GPS reporting units required in all vehicles? It may be less about the tax and more about monitoring vehicle movement? Big brother wants to know where & when we drive. Controlling movement...

Oregon has been trying to get people out of cars and onto mass transit for decades.

As far as gas tax goes? Oregon recently made 10% alcohol gas mandatory. The reduction this caused in vehicle gas mileage was a de facto increase.

[Noah930]

Originally Posted by KaptKaos

You misunderstand.

Sorry, Kaos, I should have used green font, instead. Oh, the irony (of using green text for this topic).

[PorscheGAL]

The GPS is the most bothersome part of this. This is so "1984" (For those of you who have read the book) I don't want the government keeping track of my movements.

[Taz's Master]

Just think of the benefit to all taxpayers: Tax returns need to be filed for every state in which you drive! Compound that with different tax rates per mile, and the opportunity to cross boarders of states that don't have the tax per mile, but rather on the gasoline. Wait, I know, the solution is to have the federal government administer the tax and then disburse the funds. Then if states don't want to comply with federal regulations governing something that is expressly the responsibility of the state, then the feds can withold their road funds to force compliance.

Where was Tabs to warn us of this idea of pay per mile?

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by Taz's Master

Just think of the benefit to all taxpayers: Tax returns need to be filed for every state in which you drive! Compound that with different tax rates per mile, and the opportunity to cross boarders of states that don't have the tax per mile, but rather on the gasoline. Wait, I know, the solution is to have the federal government administer the tax and then disburse the funds. Then if states don't want to comply with federal regulations governing something that is expressly the responsibility of the state, then the feds can withold their road funds to force compliance.

Where was Tabs to warn us of this idea of pay per mile?

Do a search...I posted on this quite some time ago...when the pilot program was going on. Most said I was just being a paranoid old fool.

Hey, you'd be paranoid too...if everybody was out to get you!

[Jim Richards]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

Uh, think about it...re-read the article carefully. GPS reporting units required in all vehicles? It may be less about the tax and more about monitoring vehicle movement? Big brother wants to know where & when we drive. Controlling movement...

Complementing the reaching in to peoples' wallets with a little anal probing. Brilliant!