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Pennsylvania taking baby steps away from gas tax, toward fee for miles driven
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ^ | May 7, 2022 | Ed Blazina

Posted on 05/08/2022 12:51:49 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Following a slowly growing national movement, Pennsylvania may be ready to try the idea of charging drivers a mileage-based fee to make up millions in transportation revenue lost to more fuel-efficient hybrid and electric cars.

Melissa J. Batula, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s acting executive deputy secretary, said the department is working with the General Assembly to draft legislation establishing fees for those who pay little or nothing toward road maintenance. That’s because the state gets about 75% of its road money from the gasoline tax.

A commission appointed last year by Gov. Tom Wolf recommended a series of steps to phase out reliance on the gasoline tax, including creating a method for hybrid and electric vehicle owners to help pay for transportation costs.

“There’s still a lot to figure out,” said Ms. Batula, adding that she is optimistic a bill can be introduced by the end of summer.

Oregon has had a voluntary program since 2015; Utah started a similar one in 2018 and Virginia followed in 2019. The federal infrastructure bill includes money for a national pilot program, but nothing has been established yet.

The problem is that states that rely on gasoline taxes for transportation funding have seen that money stagnate or in some cases decrease because of more fuel-efficient vehicles and the growing popularity of electric vehicles.

With the pandemic keeping some drivers home and the Biden administration’s multibillion-dollar push to increase charging stations to grow the number of electric vehicles, the problem is only going to get worse.

In Pennsylvania, the Wolf administration last year set a goal of phasing out the gasoline tax — among the highest in the country at 57.6 cents a gallon — and replacing it with a mileage-based fee . . .

(Excerpt) Read more at post-gazette.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Chit/Chat; History; Local News; Miscellaneous; Outdoors; Society; Travel
KEYWORDS: construction; evs; funding; gastax; hybrids; infrastructure; legislature; mileagetax; oregon; penndot; pennsylvania; phaseout; revenues; tomwolf; transportation; utah; virginia; vmt
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To: JonPreston
City dwellers love this. Another tax or rural folk

The roads have to be maintained somehow. Gas tax or mileage tax, someone who uses the roads should be helping to pay for it. Rural folk use the roads, they should pay to maintain those roads. Good luck putting odometers on Amish buggies though.

What is unfair is the gas tax going to things that aren't maintaining the roads, and wasteful (and corrupt) road projects that take forever and never accomplish what they're set out to do. Make every bidding process and construction project open, fair, and auditable, and disqualify companies from biddinf when those companies have been gaming the system with bribes and cost overruns for the past fifty years.

41 posted on 05/08/2022 2:51:21 PM PDT by jz638
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

IL charges a yearly fee to own a EV.


42 posted on 05/08/2022 2:56:00 PM PDT by roving
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To: Celerity

ROFL! I’m dead!!


43 posted on 05/08/2022 3:04:56 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
It seems that the only practical system is to move to toll roads. That way, anyone who drives on the road pays for the road. Otherwise, interstate truckers and vacationers don't pay, while locals pay for driving on their driveways and shopping center parking lots.

Add a surcharge based on the exit if they must, to pay for the towns that are driven through. The cities can receive the direct exit toll revenues, and perhaps a percentage of held-back revenue based on traffic to pay for the more remote roads.

-PJ

44 posted on 05/08/2022 3:06:58 PM PDT by Political Junkie Too ( * LAAP = Left-wing Activist Agitprop Press (formerly known as the MSM))
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Libtards need to pay their fair share 🤪


45 posted on 05/08/2022 3:11:27 PM PDT by NWFree (Somebody has to say it)
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To: BitWielder1
"Also, once EV's becomes the majority, expect the tax on electricity go way up."

One of the reasons we have a solar system producing 58% of the power we consumed this past year. And I'm upgrading it, while getting an EV.

46 posted on 05/08/2022 3:41:29 PM PDT by Tell It Right (1st Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

There are politicians that need to be... corrected.


47 posted on 05/08/2022 4:13:19 PM PDT by dljordan
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To: jz638

If anyone believes the gas price will come down in exchange for this tax, they’re crazy.


48 posted on 05/08/2022 4:29:40 PM PDT by JonPreston (Q: Never have so many, been so wrong, so often)
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To: JonPreston

That’s exactly why Democrats want this tax. They abandoned rural America and don’t mind punishing it.


49 posted on 05/08/2022 4:32:32 PM PDT by packagingguy
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Computation of miles driven will be a headache no matter how they slice it.

I’m surprised these liberals don’t just go for it - replace gasoline tax with an electricity environmental tax. Cut out the middleman and go where the money is.

Do I want this? Of course not. But eventually they will go there.


50 posted on 05/08/2022 5:15:03 PM PDT by plain talk
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

This benefits urbans liberals and penalizes exurban and rural-small town Republicans.


51 posted on 05/08/2022 5:45:04 PM PDT by amnestynone (We are asked by people who do not tolerate us to tolerate the intolerable in the name of tolerance.)
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To: dljordan

Most vigorously.


52 posted on 05/08/2022 6:30:57 PM PDT by curious7
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To: Tell It Right

“Also, once EV’s becomes the majority, expect the tax on electricity go way up.”

One of the reasons we have a solar system producing 58% of the power we consumed this past year. And I’m upgrading it, while getting an EV.

ev cars will soon be disposable and cheap.

I remember when a 42” 480p plasma was $6000.

recently I got a 50” 1080p 240hz old stock, but still in a sealed box TV for $25

and it is still in the box.


53 posted on 05/08/2022 7:50:08 PM PDT by algore
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

You will be tracked. The states already steal the gas tax money for other things then repairing roads. They want the ability to power off your car remotely. Already happens with smart meters where the a/c or heat is changed by the state in your home. Did not say the right things then no electricity for you.


54 posted on 05/08/2022 9:14:28 PM PDT by minnesota_bound (Need more money to buy everything now)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

I they impost the mileage tax will they also eliminate the gas tax?


55 posted on 05/09/2022 12:46:04 PM PDT by dearolddad
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