Gas tax on miles, not gallons, tested in Oregon!

UPI | 3-25-2006

[runvus]

Gas tax on miles, not gallons, tested PORTLAND, Ore., March 25 (UPI) -- Oregon is testing the idea of collecting highway funds through a tax on miles driven, rather than gasoline consumed.

Eighty percent of Oregon's highway money comes from its 24-cents-per-gallon gas tax. If the state promotes reducing gasoline consumption and consumers tend to buy the fuel-efficient vehicles, including hybrids, highway revenues would take a hit, The New York Times reported.

The test program uses a global positioning system to track miles driven, using a black box to calculate how many miles are clocked in-state, out of state and during rush hour.

The experiment is designed to increase state revenue for road maintenance without raising gasoline taxes, but critics say collecting GPS records poses new privacy issues.

"The existence of such a database, which would, for the first time in history, allow for the creation of detailed daily itineraries of every driver, raises obvious privacy concerns," said David L. Sobel, general counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a civil liberties group in Washington.

[spokeshave]

"How long before someone figured how to take this off the car & leave it in the garage...while they drove around town?"

Just put a swich in the power lead.

There was an advert in Wall St Journal a month ago for people in several cities (San Diego, Triangle Park Area....and some others I cant recall) to partipate in an on going focus group relating to charge by mile.

Was funded by an East coast University.

[blackdog]

Well good morning Mr.Obvious! :)

[ex-Texan]

Oregon may wake up soon and realize people hate the elitists imposition of a socialist dictatorship on the state. There are signs everywhere that the real estate bubble is leaking rapidly. There are three major apartment developments near Raleigh Hills where all building was halted about two months ago. Also, a brand new 'condo' development stands completely vacant. Even after the owners posted 'for rent' signs in front of the structure. Completely unoccupied. Looks abandoned to me. Wonder what casualty insurers think about that situation? Abandoned buildings are a huge risk. There will be a huge exodus to greener pastures. Exit Ore-gun, stage right. Get on yer ponies and ride!

[Erik Latranyi]

And the Libs in Oregon are worried about President Bush listening in on Terrorist's cell phone calls!!!!???? :-/

The liberals are sacrificing privacy for the environment.

President Bush is sacrificing privacy for some made-up terrorist threat.

Once again, liberals demonstrate their priorities.

[servantboy777]

"Gas tax on miles, not gallons, tested PORTLAND"

What a brilliant idea! These guys are so creative. High five one another for a job well done.

It pains me to think I will probably never reach this level of intelligence.

[guestfox01]

The experiment is designed to increase state revenue for road maintenance without raising gasoline taxes, but critics say collecting GPS records poses new privacy issues.

"The existence of such a database, which would, for the first time in history, allow for the creation of detailed daily itineraries of every driver, raises obvious privacy concerns," said David L. Sobel, general counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a civil liberties group in Washington.

The next thing you know they'll be asking for your papers when the Gestapo welcomes you to Oregon.

[HighWheeler]

Thanks, Mr. Sarcastic! Have a good day.

[R. Scott]

Yep. I only drive to church on Sunday and stop at the grocery on the way home.

[xrp]

Total collapse of state economy, tested in Oregon!

[HighWheeler]

"Oregon may wake up soon and realize people hate the elitists imposition of a socialist dictatorship on the state."


That won't happen. They are dealing with a state full of stupid libs. "You can't fix stupid".

[blackdog]

I dunno. Nobody cheats on their taxes faster than a liberal who has graduated college and found they have to begin paying student loans back on top of taxes they never knew were so outrageous. It's like an animal activist who totals their new Hybrid Toyota by hitting a deer. From that moment on, they want to slaughter every deer within 100 miles. Slowly.....

[thirst4truth]

No, there is no sales tax on goods. Oregon does not have a real estate transfer tax either. Oregon only has a 9% income tax. Also, we have gas station attendents pump our gas!!

Not all Oregonians are liberal, just Portland, Salem, and Eugene. Pretty much the rest of the entire state including the eastern side of the state is conservative!! This is just another one of the many fights we will have with the libs in the cities.

[jimtorr]

How long before people are installing Faraday cages around the box?

No need. The satellite signal is so weak that even a heavy cloud cover or a dense forest can block the signal. How often do either of those conditions occur in Oregon?

Just smear some mud or apply metallic tape over the antenna cover.

[OregonRancher]

Correct! The rest of the state, 99% of it, has open season, no limit on libs and illegals. We practice the three S's....

[ImaGraftedBranch]

How long before someone figured how to take this off the car & leave it in the garage...while they drove around town?

Just cover the "black box" with some lead shielding and no signals get through to/from the satellites.

[brazzaville]

Good morning.
"So Oregon will probably begin tracking, and taxing, based on how many loads of wash you run or how many times you use the blender or coffee pot."

Followed by the sewer fluids tax to track the citizen's use of water, the sewer solids tax to track the citizen's consumption of edible resources, and the oppressive oxygen consumption tax that eventually leads to the downfall of the statists.

Michael Frazier

[rollo tomasi]

Just cover the "black box" with some lead shielding and no signals get through to/from the satellites.

If this goes through and people sabotage their boxes officials will wonder why money isn't rolling in.

The fix, random check points to see if your box is working properly. The "general welfare" card will be played to cover the inconvenience of it all until the collectivist and their policies are voted out.

Of course a max exodus of the middle class and keeping the poor poorer (Who predominately use public transportation) will ensure votes for the collectivist. Probably the power whores dream but still way too early for the collectivist to claim victory.

[xander]

Wear and damned tear on the roads here in Oregon is nearly 100% due to studded tires which literaly carve trenches into the raodway. We have approximately 2 days of freezing weather a year but these tires are on cars 3 to 5 months out of the year.

[Thoro]

And the Libs in Oregon are worried about President Bush listening in on Terrorist's cell phone calls!!!!???? :-/

Looks like it was a Republican nannystater who came up with this genius idea. From the article about this at

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001972174_mileagetax05m.html

"In 1999, Ford brought some of its alternative-fuel-concept cars to Salem, Oregon's capital, for a demonstration. Bruce Starr, then a Republican state representative from the Portland suburbs, took a spin in a $6 million fuel-cell vehicle. "I got to thinking, 'What happens when you encourage high-mileage vehicles?' " Starr remembers. "That was in some respects the genesis of this."