Posted on 03/18/2025 12:06:42 AM PDT by Olog-hai
… Oregon transportation officials say that without more funding, residents like (Timothy) Taylor could see further declines in the quality of roads, highways and bridges starting this year. But revenues from gas taxes paid by drivers at the pump are projected to decrease as more people adopt electric and fuel-efficient cars, forcing officials to look for new ways to fund transportation infrastructure.
States with aggressive climate goals like Oregon are facing a conundrum: EVs can help reduce emissions in the transportation sector, the nation’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, but they also mean less gas tax revenue in government coffers.
“We now find ourselves right now in a position where we want to address fuel use and drive down reliance on gases and internal combustion engines. But we need the funds to operate our roads that EVs need to use as well,” said Carra Sahler, director of the Green Energy Institute at Lewis & Clark Law School.
Motor fuel taxes are the largest source of transportation revenue for states, according to the National Association of Budget Officers’ most recent report on state expenditures. But the money they bring in has fallen: Gas taxes raised 41% of transportation revenue in fiscal year 2016, compared with roughly 36% in fiscal year 2024, the group found. …
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
If (when?) all the gas cars are gone, and all cars are EVs, the state will make you pay a per mile tax.
The missing taxes should be billed and collected through the state agencies that manage vehicle registration, charging a monthly rate based on the average estimated monthly equivalent being collected by ICE vehicles.
The calculatution would be something like - estimated average miles driven per month by ICE vechiles (1,133 in california), average miles per gallon for ICE vehicles (25.4 MPG), ICE fuel tax per gallon ($0.60/gallon in California) - or 1,133/25.4 * $0.60) or $26.76 a month, or $80.29 a quarter.
A monthly or quarterly billing notice could be sent out by the state motor vehicle agnecy to every registered owner of an EV, and such vehicle owners could even set up “autopay” events to automatically pay the bill.
Surcharge the power drawn from charging stations.
States should find and eliminate all wasteful spending first and foremost.
500 miles of range on a 10 gallon fill up is a nice tradeoff though. We’ve only had it 2 years but so far we have been pleased with our first Kia.
This is going to continue to be a problem as we slowly transition to electric. How are they going to get the money?
Tax us by the mile. That would be terribly intrusive and would let the government monitor our movements. Something to think about...
Don’t give them ideas, cause it is coming...
Every adult riding on a paved government street should have to be licensed and tagged like the rest of us.
Add a fee to the charging stations then!
There’s not enough EV’s on tue road to justify any kind of tax increase on normal people.
I bought a new car that has a mild hybrid system. It helps on the gas mileage, but I doubt it will save me any money in the long run. The mild hybrid keeps heat/AC running when you come to a stop and assists getting car to roll while the engine starts up.
It wouldn't be anymore intrusive than carrying your cell phone around and being pinged by license plate readers and roadway cameras. I just got a new car and it has an app feature that I can enable to analyze my past trips. With a little programming the data could be sanitized and sent off to the tax authorities. I am not advocating this, but the posibility is there.
Get a burner phone like I do. They can ping and track all they want, but it is not tied to me by name.
Okay, so what other sources make up the other 64%? Why not increase those instead?
OR!!!! Or, you could follow the example of DOGE, and get more efficient with the money that you are generously given.
The question has to be why all this “revenue” is allegedly needed. And it’s not all going to driving infrastructure upkeep.
Not “when”.
And certainly that’s the plan.
It’s the government alleging that there are “missing taxes”.
Easy to see this coming. It’s been talked about for years.
How about if you leave it turned on at your residence for an extended period of time? I have a smartphone and mostly leave it at home unless I am traveling.
The LDV fleet average fuel economy is 25 mpg.
The average American driver travels approximately 13,476 miles per year, according to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
The federal gas tax for 2024 remains at 18.4 cents per gallon for gasoline.
The math then is forth grade level.
13476/25= 539 04 gallons per year
539.04*0.18.4 = $99
This is with only 25 mpg ,most cars get 35-40 now so even less is collected.
If you think 99 bucks PER YEAR in federal gasoline tax covers anywhere close to an individual’s wear and tear let alone infrastructure at the federal level you are delusional.
State gasoline tax rates vary significantly, ranging from a low of around 9 cents per gallon in Alaska to over 60 cents per gallon in California
So 540 gallons would be a range of $49 to $324 PER YEAR. again if you are delusional to think this covers anything near what the avg person uses in infrastructure see help.
Average construction costs are $2 to $3 million per mile for a two-lane, undivided road in a rural area, and $4 to $6 million per mile for a four-lane highway in rural or suburban areas.
2 million a mile is $379 PER FOOT. At 6 million $1136. The average persons gas tax at both the state and federal level doesn’t cover a single foot of infrastructure not one foot.
So who does pay for the roads...The top income tax payers that’s who since the Federal government uses general tax revenue to fund 90+% of the actual outlays. The states get grants from daddy few which is just general tax funds and fiat money printing.
Everyone pays state registration taxes regardless of the vehicle type. In Texas its $78 a year all in for a 5 passenger sedan regardless of the engine type.
Texas just added a $200 per year EV tax and $400 for the first registration. That’s FOUR times what the average ICE person pays at 25 mpg per year. A Prius driver pays half that as they average 50+ mpg.
So EVs in Texas pay four times the first year and twice every other year what the average ICE person pays at a pitiful 25mpg my last Prius was returning 58 mpg at 85 mph over a 330 mile run, and 80+ mpg over short gridlock trips of 10 to 16 miles bumper to bumper. I had a 2023 Prius for 6 months in 2023 as a lease while in Houston and Louisiana on contract commuting back to DFW every other weekend. So a Prius driver is paying under $50 per year in gas tax while still burning gasoline for power.
“Okay, so what other sources make up the other 64%? Why not increase those instead?”
At the Federal government level income taxes are the source for the Federal highway fund, they take it from the general funds which are primarily income tax based. So they would need to raise income tax to get more funds then.
At the state level it usually comes from the states general fund which is either income tax funded or in states like Texas no income tax its property tax funded. Either would need to rise to cover increased spending on roads.
Or we could charge the people actually using the infrastructure based on how much they use it. Drive more pay more its that simple.
Drive heavier which causes more wear and tear based on the quad root of tire patch PSI should be changed WAY more as the PSI weight goes up. Looking at you truck bro bros. The EU charges by the KG of gross mass, and also by the PS that’s horsepower in freedom units. The more of either the more you pay per year.
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.