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New DMV Head Advocates Tax On MilesDriven
The KCRA Channel ^ | November 16, 2004 | staff

Posted on 11/22/2004 4:26:38 PM PST by absalom01

New DMV Head Advocates Tax On Miles Driven

Joan Borucki Is Veteran Of State Transportation Programs

POSTED: 10:16 am PST November 16, 2004
UPDATED: 6:19 pm PST November 16, 2004
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Tired of high gas prices? Right now, drivers are paying a tax of 18 cents for every gallon of gas bought. The new chief of the state Department of Motor Vehicles has an idea that would wipe out the gas tax, but at what cost?


Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's newly appointed director of the DMV, Joan Borucki, wants to charge people for every mile they drive.Schwarzenegger said Tuesday that the idea has yet to receive in-depth consideration, but talk of a "mileage tax" is causing a political commotion.Honda dealer Katina Rapton says that the idea of an "mileage tax" is crazy, and that California already requires the manufacture and sale of clean-burning, fuel-efficient cars, which cost consumers more to drive off the lot."To me it doesn't make much sense," Rapton said. "And then turn around and penalize them on the backside for using their cars and getting better gas mileage? It doesn't make much sense."The mileage could be tracked with a device placed in the car. It's an idea that Borucki included in the governor's recently completed California Performance Review. The idea is echoed by transportation planners.
"We have to go to another device because we can't continue to rely on the gas tax in its current form, because we're using less gasoline as the price of gas goes up," said Mineta Transportation Institute spokesman Rod Diridon Sr.But Schwarzenegger, who was in Stockton Tuesday, was talking cautiously."I know the idea that has been talked about. But I don't know exactly what that would mean and what effect it would have exactly. So, I want to think it through before I make a commitment on that," Schwarzenegger said.The idea could be politically explosive for the governor who was elected, in part, on his pledge to roll back the state's car tax.Highly fuel-efficient cars like the Honda Civic would be most dramatically impacted if the idea goes forward because the driver would be charged for the miles driven, not the gas consumed.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Government; US: California
KEYWORDS: borucki; california; dmv; mileagetax; taxes
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To: ThinkDifferent
Congestion pricing will probably be part of this scheme.

This is the essence of it:

EVERY ROAD A TOLL ROAD

They want to force people out of their cars, by any means necessary.

21 posted on 11/22/2004 4:42:18 PM PST by B Knotts
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To: absalom01

Miles Driven Tax? Isn't that called the Gas Tax?


22 posted on 11/22/2004 4:42:24 PM PST by shellshocked
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To: B Knotts

Because a 'fee' would only require a simple majority, while a 'tax' requires two thirds majority.


23 posted on 11/22/2004 4:42:49 PM PST by NathanR (Santiago!)
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To: absalom01

Incidentally, this is being looked into in a number of states, all over the country.


24 posted on 11/22/2004 4:43:00 PM PST by B Knotts
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To: absalom01; NormsRevenge; calcowgirl; Grampa Dave; SierraWasp
appointed director of the DMV, Joan Borucki,

Anyone remember Moonbeam Brown's DMV brain trust with the name Adriana Gianturco. She single handily set Cal Highway construction back 50 years into the future...

25 posted on 11/22/2004 4:43:00 PM PST by tubebender (If I had know I would live this long I would have taken better care of myself...)
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To: absalom01

Ironically, the more efficient your vehicle is, the more taxes you pay. Everyone will just buy five gallon fuel cans, disconnect "Big Brother" and cheat the system.

I pay a "road tax" in the form of fuel taxes even though I am powering generators and air compressors on construction sites. How about lawnmowers? Let's really make it complicated!


26 posted on 11/22/2004 4:43:27 PM PST by Normal4me
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To: shellshocked
Commentary against - here
27 posted on 11/22/2004 4:45:40 PM PST by TheOracleAtLilac
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To: Dog Gone

The problem is that even people who would be willing to pay an increased gas tax aren't convinced that any increase would actually go to building and maintaining roads. Instead, they rightly fear that much of it would be used to build bike lanes and light rail boondoggles.


28 posted on 11/22/2004 4:46:09 PM PST by B Knotts
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To: B Knotts

Well, you could do that, and you could also have a tiered rate based on vehicle weight or any other criteria you care to dream up.

I agree with you that this is less about revenue that it is about implementing the "green agenda". People are fed up with tax increases and will be uh, reluctant to increase the gas tax unless and until all of it is spent on road construction and maintenance, which these people don't want. That's the last thing they want, in fact.

The power to tax is the power to destroy.


29 posted on 11/22/2004 4:46:17 PM PST by absalom01
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To: absalom01

They started researching this idea two years ago here in Oregon.


30 posted on 11/22/2004 4:49:29 PM PST by B Knotts
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To: absalom01

I'm going to put together an instruction manual for each car on how to disconnect the speedometer. I have 10,000,000 potential customers at 9.99 each (plus shipping and handling).


31 posted on 11/22/2004 4:49:48 PM PST by fritzz (A good plan vigorously executed now is far better than a perfect plan executed next week - Patton)
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To: B Knotts

gas tax doesn't scale up the revenues as well.....people with free will can choose a more efficient car to avoid the tax, lowering the gov't take.

This way they get everyone (so they think)


32 posted on 11/22/2004 4:51:16 PM PST by RFEngineer
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To: absalom01

After getting ticketed by one of those traffic cameras recently, I was thinking today while on the 405 how long it will be before there are cameras on the freeway taking pictures of all of us who are exceeding the 65 MPH limit...


33 posted on 11/22/2004 4:51:32 PM PST by kellynla (U.S.M.C. 1st Battalion,5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Div. Viet Nam 69&70 Semper Fi)
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To: Dog Gone
"The question is how to fund roads and their repairs. We all bitch about roads, but none of us want to pay to fix them or build new ones.

I pay 37 cents a gallon in taxes. I have no problem with that IF it goes for what it was intended for. If they want to start dictating who pays more or less for the same product, then lets do it all the way. If I buy 5 gallons for my generator should I pay road tax fees on that 5 gallons? No? Then people will fill 5 gallon jugs and then leave and then pour them into their cars when they get home. Bad idea if you ask me.

34 posted on 11/22/2004 4:52:23 PM PST by Normal4me
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To: absalom01

Actually I am of two minds on this. One part thinks it's the greatest idea since sliced bread. Nothing like liberals screwing their lives up even more.
The other part acknowledges that California has the fifth largest economy in the world and if they finally destroy themselves their likely to take the rest of our economy down with them.
I took guilty pleasure during the energy crisis they had. I should go to confession over that now that I think of it.


35 posted on 11/22/2004 4:52:50 PM PST by IrishCatholic (No local communist or socialist party chapter? Join the Democrats, it's the same thing.)
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To: B Knotts

Right -- there's a "pilot program" set up in Oregon for next year, I think.

The personal privacy issue makes this even more unpalatable, IMHO. I don't think that it's a smart idea to give this kind of power to a future opressive govenment, even if we completely trust our government as it's currently constituted.


36 posted on 11/22/2004 4:52:53 PM PST by absalom01
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To: B Knotts
Also, a gas tax rewards fuel efficiency. They are going to penalize the fuel efficient car.
37 posted on 11/22/2004 4:52:54 PM PST by fritzz (A good plan vigorously executed now is far better than a perfect plan executed next week - Patton)
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To: absalom01

If we had a true blue conservative governor, a lot of this foolishness would be nipped at the bud!


38 posted on 11/22/2004 4:53:16 PM PST by kellynla (U.S.M.C. 1st Battalion,5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Div. Viet Nam 69&70 Semper Fi)
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To: fritzz
I'm going to put together an instruction manual for each car on how to disconnect the speedometer.

jailarity will ensue..

39 posted on 11/22/2004 4:53:56 PM PST by Michael Barnes
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To: absalom01

of course, the government is more entitled to spend my money than i am.


40 posted on 11/22/2004 4:54:09 PM PST by CaptainAwesome2
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