Posted on 05/05/2011 5:42:55 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
Obama floats plan to tax cars by the mile By Pete Kasperowicz - 05/05/11 07:45 AM ET
The Obama administration has floated a transportation authorization bill that would require the study and implementation of a plan to tax automobile drivers based on how many miles they drive.
The plan is a part of the administration's "Transportation Opportunities Act," an undated draft of which was obtained this week by Transportation Weekly.
This follows a March Congressional Budget Office report that supported the idea of taxing drivers based on miles driven.
Among other things, CBO suggested that a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) tax could be tracked by installing electronic equipment on each car to determine how many miles were driven; payment could take place electronically at filling stations.
The CBO report was requested by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND), who has proposed taxing cars by the mile as a way to increase federal highway revenues.
Obama's proposal seems to follow up on that idea in section 2218 of the draft bill. That section would create, within the Federal Highway Administration, a Surface Transportation Revenue Alternatives Office. It would be tasked with creating a "study framework that defines the functionality of a mileage-based user fee system and other systems."
The administration seems to be aware of the need to prepare the public for what would likely be a controversial change to the way highway funds are collected. For example, the office is called on to serve a public relations function, as the draft says it should "increase public awareness regarding the need for an alternative funding source for surface transportation programs and provide information on possible approaches."
The draft bill says the "study framework" for the project and a public awareness communications plan should be established within two years of creating the office, and that field tests should begin within four years.
The office would be required to consider four factors in field trials: the capability of states to enforce payment, the reliability of technology, administrative costs, and "user acceptance." The draft does not specify where field trials should begin.
The new office would be funded a total of $200 million through FY 2017 for the project.
Does it work when you put a faraday cage around it and block the signal?
The other question is how are they going to force people to spend the money to retrofit?
Sure, whatever... look at him, OBL is dead, and now he is like a fat puppy dog on our laps, feeding his alter ego monster Michelle of free money free taxes... He is such a man, saved by his own self and the circle of tards who broke him down raping him as a boy and then repromoted him... “saving him”... too bad... another one bites the dust.
And this guy is the “poor people’s president” . . . why???
He's like one of the cartoony villains in the Batman TV series….
They are creating a double economy, one with taxes, and one exempt from it because Congress critters want the free good stuff. It’s the Soviet Union, or France, for that matter. It’s just a matter of black market retrofits, knowing who works where, how etc... and who benefits... and varied institutions... yep.
FUBO, the day I let ANY government and especially one with a usurper, Marxist, closet Muslim and homo at the helm, hell will have frozen over. Now once again FUBO. I can drive my car in other countries just as easily as here. NEVER will I have a government issued tracking device on any vehicle. NEVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
Step 2: Cry that those same cars which the federales just spent thousands of dollars on aren't paying their fair share of the gasoline tax and therefore everyone has to pay an additional per mile tax.
Step 3: Turn on your air conditioner and furnace at the same time and then complain about your high energy bill.
I have an idea: stop subsidizing the #($#*(@ hybrid and electric cars and use that money to pay for the roads for everyone. If hybrids and electrics are economically viable on their own then people will buy them. If so many people switch to them that the highway trust fund isn't getting enough money, then maybe you can work on an alternative system of having drivers pay, but we are nowhere close to that point now.
The cut in gas tax revenue right now has far more to do with fewer people driving to work because of the Obama economy and high gas prices from Obama's energy policy than having too many high efficiency cars.
Can we expect Big Bro and Big Sis with the aid of the US Congress to be legislating that We The People install cameras in our homes just to ensure that we’re living the way the dictatorship wants?? They’re putting cameras everywhere else to watch We The People. Welcome to Liberal/RINO Amerika?
These thugs want to tell us what to eat, where to eat, how to eat, what to drive, where we can drive, how to raise our kids, what to think, all the while they’re stealing and robbing us blind.
Vote accordingly in November 2012. Your freedom is on the line in my opinion.
Taxes for not wearing condoms.
NO. Just plain NO.
ANY level of government having the ability to track your every movement without a valid warrant is a REALLY bad idea.
Indeed, we might as well be the gay gazelles and put a tracker on our behinds for the pedophile rapists to go after us more easily. I think they should not even know if we have children or not, at this point in time. The census and Social Security numbers are becoming way too much now in terms of self tracking as a “nation”. These people are unbelievable, freaking unbelievable. Any bureaucrate out there is a moron.
Clean out the House, and the White House.
Horses cause carbon, so they’ll figure a way to scam money from buggy drivers…
One thing that really concerns me right now is that absolutely NOBODY on the Republican side is out there saying he or she will “get government off our backs”.
That phrase would SO resonate with the American People at this time. The fact that absolutely no one is using it is cause for great concern.
Intrusive, Intrusive, Intrusive. They do this and then they will be sending out notices like the electric company does to tell me how much electricity I am consuming or saving compared to my neighbors. Those notices annoy the h-ll out of me, what a waste of time and money. I use and pay for what I need to use, which may be more then some and less then others. In regards to driving I do the same. We seldom go out just for a drive any more. And back when we would go out for just a drive, most of the time we had a destination in mind. It could have been going to the ice cream stand that is a half hour drive rather then the one that is less then 5 minutes down the street. Or instead of going to the coffee shop down the street, we would drive to the one down near the beach to enjoy a cup of coffee while sitting near the ocean. We haven’t done those kind of things in a long time because we don’t want to waste the gas. I miss those rides, but for my own financial benefit I save fuel by not driving unnecessarily. I don’t need the government to track my mileage or my energy consumption nor do I need them to compare and judge my usage of that which is necessary to exist.
Enough is enough.
Like driving a govt. taxi, and paying your own meter.
That would really help Ford and GM.
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.