Taxing number of miles driven would be fairer than gas tax
Re the Jan. 4 editorial ["Gas tax hike can do double duty"] on a gas tax hike: It stated that a good part of the tax hike should be rebated to taxpayers. Why would the Gazette recommend resorting to gimmickry? Taxpayers aren't stupid, you know. Perhaps more importantly, I'm no longer certain that a gas tax is the way to go at all. Think about it: Cars get more fuel-efficient, hybrids become more common and the number of gallons of gas sold goes down, taking the tax [revenue] with it. I recently saw a suggestion that seems to make sense — impose a tax on the number of miles driven. That seems to be the only fair way to assess the users of the roads and bridges with the cost of maintaining those facilities. Some method would have to be devised for over-the-road truckers, but for the millions of cars that remain most of the time within the states in which they're registered, it seems like it would work. And it seems fair.
I recently saw a suggestion that seems to make sense — impose a tax on the number of miles driven. That seems to be the only fair way to assess the users of the roads and bridges with the cost of maintaining those facilities.
What a foolish statement. A tax based on mileage and not usage would adversely impact the transition to more fuel efficient vehicles.
Our government representatives are hypocrites. They allegedly want us to consume less fuel, yet they impose an additional tax on gasoline when the consumption decreases due to changes in driving habits, commuting methods, and the switch to more fuel efficient vehicles.
This is all about taking money from the people to be wasted by irresponsible government. It is similar to the "sin" taxes on vices (cigarettes, alcohol and, now proposed in NYS, sugary soda and fatty foods). Those in government claim that they want us to use less of these items, but the coffers would be empty without the ever increasing taxes imposed on their purchase.
If you want a usage tax to pay for bridge repair/construction, charge a fee/toll to cross those bridges. Basing a tax on mileage unfairly penalizes those who don't necessarily cross those spans.
But, the real problem is government spending. Taxes and fees are too high. The redistribution of wealth and the waste and fraud in government programs must be ended.
One additional thought, those who use toll roads, like the NYS Thruway, pay charges that are reportedly used for road maintenance, bridge repair, etc. If/when the new gas tax is imposed, shouldn't the tolls charged for travelling on these "pay" roads be eliminated? To fail to do so suggests that drivers are paying twice for infrastructure construction and repair.
Gerald Boehm is yet another sheople. Trying to redirect a tax. I mean what the hell! THERE SHOULD BE NO NEW TAXES ON ANYTHING!!! Everyone should be appauled at the idea that our very own legislatures will NOT cut spending and will opt forcreating new taxes on the already overtaxed, oppressed taxpayers.
People I have talked to are outraged and yet feel that they have no recourse. To that I say....contact your state representative and scream...'NO NEW TAXES..CUT SPENDING'!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
What he says is actually coming true. They're currently working on getting this together in Oregon. I think they're looking at tracking people by GPS or they need to report their mileage each time they fill up.
What he says is actually coming true. They're currently working on getting this together in Oregon. I think they're looking at tracking people by GPS or they need to report their mileage each time they fill up.
The actions of our government are sounding more and more like those used in the former Soviet Union where people were reportedly required to request permission to travel.
Our vehicles have GPS and our cell phones have GPS. Our license plates are said to contain identifying information that can be quickly scanned by the police. The EZ Pass tags track our movements while traveling on the NYS Thruway. Cameras that monitor "traffic" and people movement are mounted on highways, at intersections, and on city streets.
I think that we should each resist the government efforts to collect data on us.
Mr. March is correct. The Gov of Oregon, another Krat paradise, has proposed GPS tracking and then billing sheeple based on mileage. This is the kind of idiotic proposal Gov Patterson will push here. It will absolutely devastate the Upstate economy and make every good and service cost more.
Obama will be pushing a huge Federal Gas tax on top of our huge State Gas Tax. The more people conserve the more our Government, which refuses to cut anything, looks for alternatives to put the squeeze on the sheeple.
The governor endorses the program, which would install GPS devices in every new car and free the state from the problem of falling gasoline tax revenue. Some drivers worry about privacy. By Kim Murphy January 4, 2009 Reporting from Portland, Ore. -- For years, Oregon has been diligent about reducing the state's dependence on fossil fuels, but its environmental consciousness has come at a stunning price -- gas tax revenue is down $4.8 million a year compared with 2006.
That drop, caused by lower fuel consumption and a slowing economy, has prompted Oregon to consider a new way to pay for road repairs: Democratic Gov. Theodore R. Kulongoski's upcoming budget calls for a highway tax based on mileage, not gasoline purchases.
A state task force will look at equipping every new vehicle in Oregon with a Global Positioning System to record every mile driven and where. Motorists would pay at the gas pump based on how much they drove, no matter how fuel-frugal their vehicle.
The plan still requires legislative endorsement and the full details could take several years to work out, but state analysts said the governor's endorsement is a crucial step toward solving what has become a problem in many states: dependence on a gasoline tax.
"This is a way to try to develop a fair funding mechanism that we're going to have to have if we're going to be aggressive in terms of looking at electric cars and hybrids and plug-ins and all those options, and at the same time continue to invest in our roads and infrastructure," said Rem Nivens, the governor's deputy communications director.
Oregon plans to spend $650 million on transportation projects next year, a smaller version of President-elect Barack Obama's proposal to stimulate the economy with infrastructure spending. Here, it will be financed in part by a 2-cent-a-gallon tax increase.
Jim Whitty, manager of the state transportation department's office of innovative partnerships and alternative funding, said the state already faces a $10-billion shortfall in financing transportation projects, and the number will climb unless the decline in gas tax revenue is addressed.
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While Oregon appears to be out in front in looking at a mileage fee, several other states, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Florida, Rhode Island, Minnesota and Texas, have also expressed an interest in phasing out the gas tax in favor of charging motorists for how much they drive.
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"What's next? Tattoo numbers on your forearm?" wrote one commenter at Oregon Catalyst, a conservative website.
Jason Williams, executive director of the Taxpayer Assn. of Oregon, said: "This is just another wide-eyed government experiment that's going to fail and cost the taxpayer a lot of money. We basically see it as the next big boondoggle of 2009."
Logged
Mr. March is correct. The Gov of Oregon, another Krat paradise, has proposed GPS tracking and then billing sheeple based on mileage. This is the kind of idiotic proposal Gov Patterson will push here. It will absolutely devastate the Upstate economy and make every good and service cost more. 
