Posted on 12/15/2008 2:26:11 PM PST by southernnorthcarolina
Idea for road-use tax is expected to hinge on odometer readings, then GPS tracking, to replace revenue lost to fuel efficiency.
With gas-tax revenues plummeting, the state of North Carolina is looking seriously at taxing motorists for how far they drive.
If the “road-use tax” is implemented, it would at first be simple – with the state checking your odometer annually and taxing you based on how many miles you have driven. But transportation experts say new GPS technology could allow the state to charge people different rates based on when and where they drive, in an attempt to manage congestion.
Talk of a Vehicle Miles Traveled tax has long been discussed as a necessity in a decade or so, because cars are becoming more fuel efficient, and states and the federal government are losing gas-tax revenue.
But there is now a sense of urgency about the new VMT tax. When gas hit $4 a gallon this summer, Americans sharply curtailed their driving. And when the economy cratered this fall, the driving rollback continued, even when gas prices plummeted.
The 21st Century Transportation Committee suggested that, in addition to the gas tax, motorists pay a quarter-cent for each mile they drive, with the first 2,000 miles annually free. A motorist who drives 12,000 miles a year would pay $25 – possibly due when the driver gets the car inspected.
It's unlikely the General Assembly will add a new tax in 2009, during a recession.
But the N.C. Department of Transportation will need help soon. Revenue from the motor fuel tax of 29.9 cents per gallon is down 12 percent this year, and the state expects a three-year loss of $580 million.
The U.S. Department of Transportation reported that Americans drove 100 billion fewer miles between November 2007 and October 2008 – the largest continuous decline in history.
“The status quo isn't an option,” said Mark Finlayson, who co-chairs the transportation advocacy group N.C. Go!. “Cars are now using less fuel, but they are still putting wear and tear on the roads.”
Beyond North Carolina
North Carolina isn't the only state interested in a VMT tax. Oregon has studied it, and a number of other states and the federal government are considering road-use taxes.
“When we have plug-in hybrids, they won't be stopping at the gas pump,” said Steve Polzin of the University of South Florida's Center for Urban Transportation Research. “Everyone is looking to capture that market. If we don't, we'll see some pretty serious effects.”
The University of Iowa is conducting a study in six metro areas – including Raleigh-Durham – in which computers are placed in people's cars, and the amount of miles people drive is then uploaded to a central database.
Motorists would be billed, and the money then distributed to the states where the travel took place. So if you drive 180 miles across North Carolina on Interstate 95 but didn't buy gas in the state, the DOT here would still get money.
If states wanted to encourage people to continue driving fuel-efficient vehicles, the per-mile charge could vary depending on what you drive. A hybrid might be charged one-fifth-cent per mile, while an SUV might be charged a half-cent.
David Farren of the Southern Environmental Law Center said he supports a VMT tax. He said the tax would encourage people to live closer together, lessening the impact automobiles have on the environment. The government should not only encourage people to use less gas, but also to drive less, he said.
“The gas tax is good from an environmental perspective, because it directly taxes you based on how much you are polluting,” Farren said. “But there are other policy considerations based on water quality, and loss of open space.”
He was critical of the transportation committee's study, saying it focused on finding new ways to get money instead of considering other ways to move people.
“They want to continue a 1950s method of transportation,” Farren said. “They just throw money at old solutions, like beltways.”
Behavior modification by the State. Beyond creepy.
A disturbing update of a story you both posted earlier versions of.
ping
I’m glad it was posted again.I didn’t see first post.
:( Open you wallet, it’s going to be a BUMPY road. :(:(:(
Do these fools realized just how close we are to revolution in this Nation? Started by a tax revolt.
Our so-called “elected” leaders best dig their head out of their collectivist asses and CUT EXPENDITURES to the barest minimum, and let our economy recover.
After all.... after you shear the sheep you have to give them time to grow the hair back before you shear them again.
A public that would even allow something like this is a public that no longer deserves the republic that their founders created. We are hopelessly lost. Tell your children that America is gone.
The power to tax someone is the power to compel them to change their behaviors to your liking. When you have the kind of granular control that technology now gives you, you can wield awesome power to mold the masses to your agenda.
You would think that the environmentalists would be upset with this, since it removes the reward for driving fuel efficient cars—which, incidentally, are usually lighter weight and cause less road damage.
But I guess these people don’t believe in incentives, only government mandates.
One of the things that made America what it was was the "wide open spaces" and the ability to get in your car, hop on your bike (motorcycle) and just start driving... It was once known as FREEDOM!!!
Of course this is from a bygone era, and most of those "in charge" (AKA our elected "employees") seem to think that there's WAY too much emphasis on "freedom" and "individuality" and they do everything within their power to stamp it out. From taxing everything we enjoy, to drugging our children in school.
If this goes through, I hope the CITIZENS of NC start buying torches and pitchforks. Geez, the home of Charlotte Motor Speedway, one of the homes of NASCAR? Just what the hell are they thinking?
Mark
I believe Portland is the one majro jurisdiction where this type of thing has been tried (it only applies to vehicles registered in Portland), and all it's done is give people an incentive to move just outside the city limits so the VMT tax doesn't apply to them.
So do I need a GPS on my motorcycle?
By the odometer method, some guy who takes a trip across the U.S. ends up paying taxes to repair North Carolina roads when those miles were racked up on some other state’s highways.
Every paragraph of this story presents one hideous idea after another. Bad followed by worse and then even “worser.”
First the use tax itself, which is a tax on personal behavior. Then there’s the SUV vs. Prius premium (again penalizing choice and behavior), and even worse the monitoring of your travel through different tax jurisdictions “to properly allocate” taxes.
Will the Sheeple resist?
I agree with your general sentiment, but I would also suggest that the concept of “freedom” on which this country was founded never included the notion that people have a God-given right to get in their cars every day and drive to work 5, 10 or 50 miles away on a taxpayer-funded road.
Although this has been kicking around for some time, this must have been a big idea at the recent governor’s convention.
GPS doesn’t work if it cannot see the sky. Block the antenna and they can’t track you.
Of course, you can set the odometer back.
This is what happens NC, elect Conservative Republicans instead of rats and rinos.
Is North Carolina run by the scumbag Democrats now?
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