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Rural America, Prepare for Biden's Newly-Proposed Tax
Townhall ^ | Jan 23, 2021 | Beth Baumann

Posted on 01/23/2021 8:42:50 AM PST by george76

When President Joe Biden announced former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg as his pick for Transportation Secretary, many scratched their heads. Why would he tap someone who oversaw a small budget, in a small town, in the midwest for such a roll? That puzzle is finally coming together.

It turns out that Biden favors Buttigieg's transportation views, specifically the idea that America should move away from the gas tax and instead opt into a tax based on the number of miles a person travels. It would be a new way to provide cash for the Highway Trust Fund, which currently funding from the federal gas tax. As it currently stands, the federal gas tax is 18.4 cents per gallon and 24.4 cents per gallon for diesel.

Liberal states, like California, Oregon, Washington State, and Colorado are already contemplating this so-called "alternative."

Biden's administration would have to figure out how to pay for his $1 trillion infrastructure plan, which includes $160 billion for the transportation department.

During his confirmation hearing with the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Thursday, Buttigieg explained his take on the gas tax.

"I think all options need to be on the table. As you know, the gas tax has not been increased since 1993, and it has never been pegged to inflation, and it's one of the reasons why the current state of Highway Trust Fund is that there's more going out than coming in," Buttigieg said about a potential tax increase. "In the long term, we need to bear in mind also that as vehicles become more efficient and as we pursue electrification, sooner or later, there will be questions about whether the gas tax can be effective at all."

Instead, the transportation nominee wants to consider taxing Americans on the number of miles they drive.

"A lot has been suggested recently about the idea of vehicle-miles-traveled-based, so if we're committed to the idea of user-pays, then part of how you might do that would be based on vehicle miles traveled," he said. "But that raises, of course, concerns about privacy and there remains some technological questions too. These are examples of some of the things that could be part of the solution, but I know that's going to have to be a conversation, not only in the administration, but with Congress too."

Should the Biden administration move forward with taxing Americans based on the number of miles they drive on any given day, rural America would be the ones disproportionately impacted. They live further outside of metro areas. Many travel 20 to 30 miles one way to work or to do any kind of major grocery shopping. Farmers, especially those who live even further out – a few hours from a metropolitan area – would be punished because they don't live in the inner cities.

This is a prime example of why rural folks feel forgotten about. It's always about what's best for those who live in the cities, not about those who grow and transport your food, or do the dirty work no one else is willing to do. It's about those who work in fancy offices in New York City, not the loggers and miners who work in dangerous conditions to provide heating options for the very people who despise them.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: California; US: Colorado; US: Indiana; US: Oregon; US: Washington
KEYWORDS: agenda21; americans; gastax; rural; ruralamerica; ruralfolks; tax; taxes; taxing; un; unagenda21
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1 posted on 01/23/2021 8:42:50 AM PST by george76
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To: TEXOKIE; Whenifhow; MileHi; Mr. Silverback; Alamo-Girl; abigailsmybaby; afraidfortherepublic; ...

UN Agenda 21 ( Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from the list.)


2 posted on 01/23/2021 8:43:53 AM PST by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: george76
move away from the gas tax and instead opt into a tax based on the number of miles a person travels

Bull Obama. They'll do both -- one on top of the other.

3 posted on 01/23/2021 8:46:04 AM PST by Jeff Chandler (We flattened the heck out of that curve, didn’t we?)
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To: george76

Thanks for the ping.


4 posted on 01/23/2021 8:46:13 AM PST by Jane Long (America, Bless God....blessed be the Nation 🙏🏻🇺🇸)
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To: george76
And how exactly will they gather this information? Any GPS transponder can be left at home or wrapped in tinfoil. Make you go to a garage to report your odometer once a month? When you register your car? Will the Feds put cameras up on highways to register license plates?

So much leftism is just idiotic adolescent self-righteousness coupled with a naïve belief that reality is far simpler than it is. Simply absurd.

5 posted on 01/23/2021 8:47:47 AM PST by pierrem15 ("Massacrez-les, car le seigneur connait les siens" )
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To: george76

Buttigieg’s transportation views, specifically the idea that America should move away from the gas tax and instead opt into a tax based on the number of miles a person travels>>>>>>>>>

Lets describe that more accurately.

A limitation on the Freedom to Assemble and the Freedom to travel.

This fudge packer needs a reboot edge edge.


6 posted on 01/23/2021 8:47:51 AM PST by Candor7 ((Obama Fascism:http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/05/barack_obama_the_quintessentia_1.html) )
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the entire media will swoon over every thing Buttjuice does


7 posted on 01/23/2021 8:48:31 AM PST by dsrtsage (Complexity is merely simplicity lacking imagination)
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To: george76

Put me on the list...Thanks


8 posted on 01/23/2021 8:48:37 AM PST by Hambone 1934 (When will the dems turn the US into Venezuela????)
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To: george76
Kinda funny. They said we needed more fuel-efficient cars, which reduced the number of gallons of gas a car needed. Predictably, that decreased fuel tax revenues. In addition to spending the gas tax revenues on bike paths, round-abouts, and parkways.

This proposal is going to go nowhere and if they try to do it by EO it should be ignored or sued.

9 posted on 01/23/2021 8:48:45 AM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist (Trust the plan of the 17th letter of the English alphabet!)
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To: george76

So then what are they going to do? Hire millions of people to check odometers on cars. . . .oh wait a minute. . .there’s the cell phone that will probably require a government ap on it.


10 posted on 01/23/2021 8:49:44 AM PST by Maudeen (A question to answer, "Will my name be written in the Lamb's Book of Life?" Revelation 20:15)
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To: george76

I’m sure Peter Pan will be chauffeur driven A taxpayer expense everywhere he goes as a secretary of transportation. Politicians never have to pay the taxes or follow the rules that they put on the little people.


11 posted on 01/23/2021 8:49:55 AM PST by SoCal Pubbie
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To: george76

Cars produce almost zero wear and tear on the roads. That’s all from trucks. So of course taxing car fuel is the answer.


12 posted on 01/23/2021 8:50:21 AM PST by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: Jeff Chandler

Yes - They’ll do both — one on top of the other.


13 posted on 01/23/2021 8:50:25 AM PST by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: george76

Fun fact: Prius/Tesla drivers hardest hit.


14 posted on 01/23/2021 8:50:59 AM PST by Pollster1 ("Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed")
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To: Jeff Chandler

You beat me to it! They’ll do both.


15 posted on 01/23/2021 8:50:59 AM PST by ryderann
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To: george76

Fuel efficient vehicles (compared to twenty or thirty years ago) have really hurt gas tax revenues.

Oops.


16 posted on 01/23/2021 8:51:55 AM PST by cgbg (A kleptocracy--if they can keep it.)
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To: Hambone 1934

You are added. Thanks


17 posted on 01/23/2021 8:52:17 AM PST by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: george76

I think it has come to the point where we need to fight back on these big city states. Libs have been in favor of removing retailers, media, and other sellers of goods or ideas from the playing field, not be ostracizing them but by refusing to deal in the products. So, why not have the energy producing states and the farm belt just decide to whom they will sell their products to. For instance, around Feb 1 would be a good idea to cut off natural gas from Texas and Louisiana to say the NE. Same for farm goods, don’t sell to the combines that move goods to say DC. A few years of such actions might just change their way of thinking of using economic war against these areas that are in their view, fly over country. What they are doing now is just an extension of what the Tariff of Abominations was designed to do. Force the cotton producing states into economic slavery to the NE textile companies. Just much broader in concept.


18 posted on 01/23/2021 8:52:22 AM PST by Mouton (The enemy of the people is the media.)
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To: george76

Violation of equal protection and Commerce clauses.


19 posted on 01/23/2021 8:52:50 AM PST by jagusafr ( )
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To: george76

I’m Sorry, we just can’t afford the Tax to ship Food and Supplies to the New England States


20 posted on 01/23/2021 8:53:42 AM PST by eyeamok
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