Posted on 07/18/2017 12:59:41 AM PDT by gattaca
In Oregon, a state known for its avid bicycling culture, the state Legislature’s approval of the first bike tax in the nation has fallen flat with riders. Democratic Gov. Kate Brown is expected to sign the sweeping $5.3 billion transportation package, which includes a $15 excise tax on the sale of bicycles costing more than $200 with a wheel diameter of at least 26 inches. Even though the funding has been earmarked for improvements that will benefit cyclists, the tax has managed to irk both anti-tax Republicans and environmentally conscious bikers. BikePortland publisher Jonathan Maus called it “an unprecedented step in the wrong direction.” “We are taxing the healthiest, most inexpensive, most environmentally friendly, most efficient and most economically sustainable form of transportation ever devised by the human species,” Mr. Maus said.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
I’m for it. Why should the taxes on gasoline and other vehicle related monies used for roads - go towards bike lanes?
We had a beautiful 4 lane road here in Odessa. It ran through a nice neighborhood and cars did the 35 speed limit, no one was ever stuck behind another vehicle.
Then.......the city decided to destroy it with bike lanes. Now there is only one lane going each way, with these ugly bike lanes drawn on it and turning lanes down the center.
Traffic has devolved into tailgaters and speeders without a bike in sight. And yes, one does have to do with the other.
They would get plenty of money from cyclists if they wrote tickets for all of the moving violations they commit.
Of course EVERYONE knows that only ELITISTS ride bicycles.
Class warfare much ?
Why don't move on over to socialistrepublic.com
Your proletariat screed will be welcome over there.
IIRC when I was a kid I had to pay some small fee every year to the town for my bike tag.
How progressive of them...
Exactly. The British Government started Guy Fawkes Day as a celebration of capturing and killing a then terrorist. However, as government metastasized into a master controlling every aspect of life, people began to sympathize not with the government, but with Guy Fawkes. People now see how governments grow, become cancerous, and enslave the population they were meant to serve. Historically, it always moves to a tipping point of people destroying government before government enslaves its own people. It's an endless historical cycle.
If they use the resources, they have to support them.
Run into this all the time. To be honest, I am not very happy with bicyclist these days. They run red lights and stop signs, cut into motor traffic at will, and risk their lives with an attitude of entitlement.
We had one guy get killed last month because he was swept off an Interstate on ramp. Illegal for him to be there, but it has become a rather common practice. A truck came by and the wind blew him over the side of the ramp.
So now taxes on motorists will be reduced, right?
ML/NJ
California has/had registration for bicycles, but the state did not make it mandatory. That was left to cities. Some cities made it mandatory and some did not. It used to be mandatory in Los Angeles but looks like it was repealed after I moved away due to the cost of the program and low participation. The registration was, of course, “for your own good,” because it would help you prove that the bike was yours if it was stolen. Not that police would ever actually look for a stolen bike. The cost to register was pretty cheap, a couple dollars or so. Some cities, like Berkeley, had or still have a small fine in place if you don’t register your bike.
Grand Rapids, MI had those bicycle license stickers in the 50’s. They cost 50 cents and were an annual “tax.” I rode to the nearest fire station to get mine.
Oh, please!
I haven't been on a bicycle in years. During the summer months here I pass quite a few riders on the mostly rural roads I drive. Sometimes I do even have to slow down for a few seconds before I can give them a wide pass. I never think of them as "idiots" except maybe when they ride two or three abreast, which isn't very often. Grow up.
ML/NJ
So the solution is for shops to sell their bikes with 24-inch “tax wheels,” which the buyer can then replace the next day and at no extra cost with the intended 26ers
As a bicyclist, I have to agree that bikers need to pay taxes to build bike paths and bike trails. We love biking and Hillsborough has nice paths, but why shouldn’t bicyclists pay for them.
If it were up to me...bikes would be banned from every road they were unable to maintain speeds equal to normal traffic flows.
In other words, no bikes on roads with a 35+ mph speed limit.
If it _____, tax it.
26 as measured from the outside edge of the tire or wheel? The terms are ambiguous.
We had a metal plate given out by the fire department. You had to fill out a card identifying bike and owner. Didn’t cost anything
But that was a long time ago
Wut? They don’t want to pay a lousy $15?
Ok, then. How about a mileage-based fee to pay your “fair share???”
LOL!
When the Race Card doesn’t work, you can always play the Socialism Card.
But it’s not about this particular tax itself, which is far from oppressive (at least at the onset), it’s about hypocrites being shown for what they are.
Wait until they start charging for yearly bike registration.
YES.
Adults who make in excess of 50,000/yr should be taxed double for riding a bicycle ANYWHERE on the public thuroughfare, and wearing spandex in the commision of the act should make it a felony.
Children who ride bikes are exempt.
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