Oregon to test pay-per-mile idea as replacement for gas tax

[Pauls' Revere]

WTF.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/2015...ff38a74ea.html

[aGameOfThrones]

5k Patriots doing their civic duty

[Danke]

Let me guess, vehicles driven by those that are not so fuel efficient will still have to pay a greater tax per mile driven from the fuel tax, and now add to that a mileage tax on top of that.

[Pauls' Revere]

Let me guess, vehicles driven by those that are not so fuel efficient will still have to pay a greater tax per mile driven from the fuel tax, and now add to that a mileage tax on top of that.

I would guess so, a less fuel efficient vehicle would probably pay per mile, pay fuel tax (already there), and in the future my crustal ball sees a carbon tax. What will be the breaking point?

[Danke]

I would guess so, a less fuel efficient vehicle would probably pay per mile, pay fuel tax (already there), and in the future my crustal ball sees a carbon tax. What will be the breaking point?

But Americans will still pay less than those more civilized western nations.

[Suzanimal]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon is about to embark on a first-in-the-nation program that aims to charge car owners not for the fuel they use, but for the miles they drive.

The program is meant to help the state raise more revenue to pay for road and bridge projects at a time when money generated from gasoline taxes are declining across the country, in part, because of greater fuel efficiency and the increasing popularity of fuel-efficient, hybrid and electric cars.

Starting July 1, up to 5,000 volunteers in Oregon can sign up to drive with devices that collect data on how much they have driven and where. The volunteers will agree to pay 1.5 cents for each mile traveled on public roads within Oregon, instead of the tax now added when filling up at the pump.

Some electric and hybrid car owners, however, say the new tax would be unfair to them and would discourage purchasing of green vehicles.

"This program targets hybrid and electric vehicles, so it's discriminatory," said Patrick Connor, a Beaverton resident who has been driving an electric car since 2007.

State officials say it is only fair for owners of green vehicles to be charged for maintaining roads, just as owners of gasoline-powered vehicles do.

"We know in the future, our ability to pay for maintenance and repair... will be severely impacted if we continue to rely on the gas tax," said Shelley Snow with the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Other states are also looking at pay-per-mile as an alternative to dwindling fuel tax revenues.

...

http://news.yahoo.com/oregon-test-pa...060348629.html

[Occam's Banana]

Oregon to test pay-per-mile idea as replacement for addition to gas tax

Fixed it for them.

[luctor-et-emergo]

State officials say it is only fair for owners of green vehicles to be charged for maintaining roads, just as owners of gasoline-powered vehicles do.

Well that's true but isn't electricity taxed as well ? I mean... That tax may be lower than the tax on gasoline but don't they want people to start driving electric cars for the environment ?

I'm not sure how the road fund is structured but there should be better ways. I don't think 'declining' income from fuel tax is that significant as of yet. I'd say higher prices and a bad economy over the last couple of years also made people use less gasoline which could well have added to this effect. There are a bunch of electric cars but it's not a significant part of traffic yet, at least, not here.

[jbauer]

This has been on here several times before. I don't have a problem charging for use. BUT and its a big BUT you have to figure out how to balance privacy while tracking miles.

To that I don't have an answer.

[Anti Federalist]

This has been on here several times before. I don't have a problem charging for use. BUT and its a big BUT you have to figure out how to balance privacy while tracking miles.

To that I don't have an answer.

Read the odometer.

Simple.

But this is not about taxation, this is about government tracking your every move on the road.

All the talk about "lost revenue" and "fairness" is just smoke and mirrors bull$#@!, designed to muddle the issue.

[JK/SEA]

JFK III lives in Oregon. I think we need a little talk with him...

[JustinTime]

I remember Glenn Beck talking about this back in 2007 or 2008, when he was still on CNN, and it was discussed on the IMDb Politics boards, most people said he was a fear-mongering nut. Im not a big fan of his but he was right on that one.

I knew the day would come when there began to be serious proposals to track us in our cars. I wonder how long before this is mandatory and spreads all over the country?

[Anti Federalist]

I remember Glenn Beck talking about this back in 2007 or 2008, when he was still on CNN, and it was discussed on the IMDb Politics boards, most people said he was a fear-mongering nut. Im not a big fan of his but he was right on that one.

I knew the day would come when there began to be serious proposals to track us in our cars. I wonder how long before this is mandatory and spreads all over the country?

10 years, give or take.

Right about the time self driving cars become all the rage.

That will be mandatory as well.