The nation’s 50-year-old federal highway system needs it – as tragically seen in the 2007 collapse of an eight-lane bridge in Minneapolis that killed 13 people.
No facts in evidence for this statement. The real causes were (1) poor road project spending priorities, (2)lax inspection standards, (3)lax priorities given to inspection results, NOT lack of funds.
Second, the type of program tried in Oregon would not obtain any taxes from any vehicles that do not need to go to "fuel stations". What about all the "tax free" miles obtained by an all electric vehicle that is only recharged at the owners residence?? The real motive of this project was to tax more greatly the fuel purchased for fossil fuel vehicles that get lower miles-per-gallon than their peers. However; There is another way to "equalize" the "fuel taxes" between drivers of vehicles using fossil fuel products and drivers of vehicles that use "alternative" fuels. First, fuel taxes now do not discriminate between vehicles that achieve a different average number of miles per gallon of fuel. But, the calculations for fuel taxes do make some assumptions about total vehicle miles driven over the roads served by a particular fuel tax, against an overall average miles-per-gallon of the vehicles using that fuel, to estimate how much revenue a fuel tax might produce. {wait, read on] Equivalents to that measurement are possible for each and every type of vehicle "fuel" (electricity for recharging, batteries, useful life of a solar-panel-array, etc.) and taxes on each of the alternative energy sources can be applied on a basis that uses the energy equivalent of each source, for each additional use and or purchase of an "alternative" transportation fuel. [wait, read on] Power companies could require homeowners to purchase and install a mini-meter and special smart-outlet used at the home for recharging vehicle batteries, co-designed with the vehicle manufactures so that only such outlets will connect to their vehicles recharging line-cable; and through which power companies can perform the state's "fuel tax" collections through such meters; adding the taxes to the owners monthly electric bill. "Public outlets" for vehicle recharging purposes can include the taxes in the cost of their use.[wait, read on] The "fuel taxes" for batteries-as-fuel-source and solar panels would probably impose the largest immediate tax on their purchase due to the number of miles of their useful life expectancy (or useful life before "recharge"). [wait read on] For example, a single battery-as-fuel-source would obtain a tax upon purchase (added separately with the initial purchase as "installed equipment") that was the equivalent of the "per gallon" fuel tax that corresponds to the energy equivalent supplied by the battery: ([x] liquid dispersed fuels have a tax per gallon, {y] a gallon of fuel represents an average number of miles it can obtain, [Z] a battery has an expected average number of miles it can be used before needing recharge, so [Z] divided by [y] times [x] would produce a tax equivalent to the liquid fuels tax taken at the pump. [wait, read on] "Fuel Taxes" for solar panels for vehicles would work the same way. If a vehicle's solar array was potent enough for all of a vehicle's transportation fuel, they would obtain the largest immediate tax upon purchase, because of the "total useful miles" the panels would have before replacement. [wait. read on] Oh, too bad, then the ACTUAL costs of these "alternative" fuels - with their "fuel taxes" included, will be so much higher than "fossil" fuels that they will never obtain their politically motivated "consumer demand". [NOW] But, we could avoid all such measures and simply turn all roads into "toll roads"; with RID chips installed in every vehicle, cables laid in every road bed and fees assessed while the vehicle passes over the road (already done in Hong Kong), with monthly bills arriving from the owners/governing authorities of the roads you travel(ed) over; and the same system can collect, via debit/credit cards, tolls for any specific toll roads used. No matter what CAN BE DONE; at the moment it seems that many "alternative fuel" vehicle modes are starting up without a system in place for them to share in the "fuel taxes" that support the roads they are using. "Fossil fuel" vehicle owners should demand such vehicles be banned where-ever equivalent "fuel taxes" are not imposed on "alternative fuel" vehicles.
I don't however think it has a chance. The envirowacko lobby is too powerful. This would reduce the advantages of hybrids, and make E85 cost prohibitive. It only barely manages being competitive due to a 51 cent per gallon tax credit on the ethanol used in the fuel. If the gas tax goes away, that tax credit will disappear as well.
Suddenly alternative fuels and hybrids have to come closer to competing on their actual merits with less subsidies.
It may also reduce the incentive of buying a fuel efficient car a bit as well, though taking vehicle weight into account in the tax may offset that.
BS...the truth is that gasoline generated revenues are going down because people are heeding the government's wishes and consuming less of it. The law of unintended consequences is biting them right in the ass. Now we get this pablum that proposes a new tax and has the gall to claim that drivers are asking for it. What a crock.
Only if the imposition of gas taxes are prohibited under penalty of death.
They’d better forget about this RIGHT NOW!!
*ALL* candidates for office, regardless of party or office, should be put on notice that *ANY* vote for *ANY* new tax will guarantee that we will vigorously work to *UNSEAT* them in the next election!
The only tax legisltation I will abide at this point must consist of *REPEALS*!!
No thanks.. everyone knows this is NOT about taxing miles but adding yet another way to get us out of our cars AND give the govt yet another way to track us.
Ill pass.
This is a GREAT idea! It shifts the tax burden from people with SUVs, high-performance sports cars and Trucks to people with Priuses and civics.
This will be fun when the watermelon lefties figure out that they will be paying the same tax per mile in their tiny Prius as an evil Republican driving a Cadillac Escalade SUV.
Tax mobility.
hmmm..
just like obama proping up property “values” to keep property taxes higher.