Posted on 08/05/2021 9:22:22 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Remember that promise of Joe Biden’s that he wasn’t going to raise taxes on people earning less than $400,000 per year?
“If you make less than $400,000, you won’t see one single penny in additional federal tax,” Biden told George Stephanopoulos in March 2020.
But then Psaki tried to fudge that by saying that they meant “families” earning that amount or suggesting that it referred to couples. Which, of course, has a completely different meaning and leaves individuals at much greater risk.
But that is not the only place where the Democrats are trying to sneak something past us in regard to potential taxes.
In the new bipartisan infrastructure deal, there’s a provision for a multiyear “national motor vehicle per-mile user fee pilot” program. The pilot program, in section 13002 of the bill, would target personal vehicle mileage, charging users based on vehicle miles traveled.
The 2,702-page bill directs Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to provide recommendations to Congress within three years of the pilot program’s establishment, at which point lawmakers could choose whether or not to pass new legislation taxing miles-per-vehicle in order to fund the infrastructure overhaul.
The program would target passenger motor vehicles, light trucks and medium- and heavy-duty trucks, while fees would likely vary between vehicle types and weight classes “to reflect estimated impacts on infrastructure, safety, congestion, the environment, or other related social impacts.”
“The Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of the Treasury, and consistent with the recommendations of the advisory board, shall establish a pilot program to demonstrate a national motor vehicle per-mile user fee to restore and maintain the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund and to improve and maintain the surface transportation system,” the bill text reads.
Per-mile user fee. So what’s the White House’s response to what looks like a sneaky way to move toward instituting a national mileage tax?
Buried in the 2700 page infrastructure bill: pic.twitter.com/9IOPlXRQ1k
— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) August 4, 2021
“There is literally nothing in the bill that is counter to the president’s pledge. This refers to two provisions about research. One gives grants to states if they want to apply to do their own research. The second involves a federal pilot program based on individual volunteers, who receive full refunds, for studies that would then only be the basis for recommendations about future legislation,” one White House official elaborated. “The administration will evaluate all legislation, including any bills relevant to these pilot programs, against the $400,000 pledge.”
The pilot program will be tested using “volunteers” who will be reimbursed, the White House claims.
So you’re just running a pilot program to determine if we should have a national vehicle per-mile user fee, but don’t worry because hey, we might decide not to do it? We’re supposed to believe that? Why are you even looking into it, to begin with? Do we need to remind people that income taxes originally were not supposed to be a permanent thing?
Democrats – they just can’t stop trying to put taxes on you, even if they promise not to. This serves their purpose of making it expensive to drive a car, thus reducing the driving and serving their climate change purposes. This could devastate a lot of people, especially those who drive as part of their job or have reason to drive a lot. The 17 Republicans who went along with this ought to have their heads examined.
The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill would pave the way for a new miles-driven tax on drivers by creating various pilot programs for a "vehicle per-mile user fee.” https://t.co/VJo2UKP4Xc
— ATR (@taxreformer) August 5, 2021
You are about to get screwed…
Infrastructure bill floats national mileage fee despite Biden's $400,000 tax hike 'red line' https://t.co/SVm0hOl2zQ
— Paul Bedard (@SecretsBedard) August 3, 2021
NUTZ!
Enforcement should be a blast.
“Enforcement should be a blast.” It will be easy. Your car will report on you. Your Nav system. Your Sirius/XM satellite radio. Your onboard computer. Your service center/dealership. Your cell phone. Your credit/debit card. Your insurance companies nanny state transponder if you choose that to save on insurance costs. Your toll road transponder if you use one. Your employer will report you via their address and your home address. These are just a few examples of their ability to track your movements.
Not necessarily.
Sadly this is among the least of our impending problems.
With the FDA (easily) coerced into fully approving the ‘vaccine’ I fully expect that we won’t be allowed to travel even by personal vehicle without proof of ‘vaccination’.
Will likely depend on your domicile.
We already pay a per-mile gas tax. Every gallon includes local, state and federal taxes.
Not necessarily opposed, given three provisions:
1) replace (not in addition to) gas tax
2) mileage reported only, not destinatio/location (via encryption)
3) rates based on vehicle weight so the electric cars with their massive batteries take it up the tailpipe
Forget all that. They are about control and inflicting pain.
“ 2) mileage reported only, not destinatio/location (via encryption)”
——————————
Are you KIDDING me? You actually trust the government to do that? You clearly don’t understand 3 things:
1. Federal and local prosecutors will demand and even subpoena such information. They have done exactly that with the information from automatic toll collection databases - Hell, even divorce lawyers are getting the information! When you are driving on public roads, you have NO expectation of privacy.
2. Even if there is a legal exception to the no expectation of privacy principle is carved out in future legislation, it WILL be ignored. The BATFE has built and maintained a database of gun purchasers DESPITE a clear prohibition on doing such in the 1986 FOPA.
3. The encrypted info WILL be hacked and sold to the highest bidder. Aside from the direct harm that such a release will do to our privacy, the FBI will “recover “ copies of whatever was hacked as part of their criminal investigation - and both keep and use the information forever. Oh, and there will be regular hacks, by secretly paid government hackers if no one else.
Please, once power is given up to any government, it is extremely difficult to get it back.
And then after it spreads to corporate fleets, trucking and cab companies, skyrocketing food prices get a real boost.
What about boating? Will it destroy that industry and the associated jobs?
Why does an electric vehicle need a tailpipe?
Just an expression. EV’s which are quite heavy compared to similar IC vehicles (and thus put their share or more of wear and tear on the roads) should pay a proportional tax, in my opinion.
They can already track you with cell signal pings to towers, facial recognition cameras, point-of-sale data from your bank card, etc. That horse left the barn some time ago
To store bananas.
Presumably, if a mileage tax were put into effect, the gasoline tax would be eliminated. So a tax increase ain’t necessarily so.
I think cars and other small vehicles shouldn’t be taxed at all, but the large trucks should be taxed based on mileage. Getting mileage information from commercial vehicles isn’t as bothersome as getting it from individuals.
I suppose you could also do the “road tax” by taxing purchases of tires rather than gasoline.
This is an unconstitutional tax as it treats citizens differently. The 14th Amendment requires EQUAL treatment for every citizen.
10 cents a mile for personal vehicles probably will be the starting point.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.