Featured Virginia goes to psuedo-Miles Driven Gaso Tax

Using CAFE for a law is probably better because of the possible change in the scale there.

 

I would like to see the State, annual 'hippy' tax on EVs be index back to Federal road budgets. The more a State over charges the EV owners, the more Federal road budgets in those States goes down at about a 2-5x rate. Alternatively, require State EV 'road taxes' to be uniform with ICE vehicles.

Bob Wilson

 

This seems like a never ending 'Wizard of Oz" search for tax money.

Surely Motorcycle and Mopeds are next- then bicyclist- pedestrians use the road and sidewalks (especially joggers).

People who use Public transportation are riding on buses but escape paying the road tax so they must chip in to maintain the roads. Even people who don't own a vehicle may reap the rewards for roads by commerce that comes over them.

These type taxes seem innocent enough at first but are a way to get a foot in the door and condition us for even more of these type money grabs.

An interesting investigation would be what percentage of the money collected goes to road maintenance and what percentage goes to salaries, pensions and other programs.

 

You can sign up this EV owner as being strongly in favor of a miles-driven tax.

 

The federal Democrats want efficient vehicles and the state Democrats want coal rollers??

 

Warts and all, the Commonwealth of VA's plan is at least simple.
When EVs become more democratized then the individual states will probably move on to the next victim.
Sutton's Law.


I've always been amazed that the same people who are into the idea of a mileage tax, lean away from toll roads.
I personally am neutral on the idea of a mileage tax, but the idea of my beloved government hiring a company in New York to monitor my mileage and bill me (like they do for toll bridges, photo enforcement, etc....) leaves me a little underwhelmed.

It could be done super simple.
Most cars already have IMEI numbers and SIM cards, and most cars on the road are registered, and have their odometers more or less stated when registrations are renewed.

However (comma!) my finely-honed Spidey senses inform me that whatever tax scheme we arrive at for road maintenance will be neither simple NOR effective, and a "select few" will be enriched by the program........

.....and potholes will NOT become an endangered species.

 

i'm still here, it has just gotten a little boring with covid and no one driving. i have gone in search of other pass times.

 

Good to know!

 

Yea but NOVA county eco drivers are paying a heck of a lot more per gallon than those rural county F-150 drivers are.

EX-NOVA. Sold my snow blower. Now know where to stop for gas when I visit.

 

I already sent my senator something similar

1. Federal Benchmarks on when a state is allowed to start charging EVs, PHEV, Hybrid, economy cars
A) If a state fails to meet the benchmarks no special taxes AKA an adequate population of cars MUST exist and adequate support architecture must exist otherwise remove federal highway support if the state chooses to violate the guidelines

2. Federal Guidelines on when and how much
These taxes should match the amount of gas tax a similar economy car would pay when driving 5000 miles a year

3. Regressive taxes that charge everyone the same amount are a slippery slope considering the only reason many people own an economy car is to save money, degrade this and many won’t own the more efficient choice, if we want to motivate people to own smaller more efficient vehicles that emit less CO2 and pollution the issue of road taxes will need to be dropped or fundamentally changed since the fuel savings is already slim and the tax reduces or removes it altogether.
Add to this many of the next generation are vehemently opposed to vehicle ownership, my last girlfriend lived in a rural area and felt my owning a car was extremely wasteful and stupid, the number of vehicle registrations in Wisconsin dropped roughly 2 million from peak already and I expect as the process of trying to drive costs evenly to the public occurs even more Sunday drivers, fun cars and 2 car families will dispose of their rides.

Wisconsin already pre-emptively quadrupled 3 wheeler motor cycle tax
Wisconsin also charges bicycle taxes of various types but they are mostly ignored unless you really need to pedal in specific areas.

Excluding 2020 Wisconsin DMV normally spends about 51% of what they collect on enforcement, legal, salaries, notary, operations, but 100% of their fee collections go into the road fund (whatever sense that makes)

Our emissions testing program has been insolvent almost 20 years

 

So EV mandates so everybody pays the surcharge?
The Virginia Dems did not do this to compromise.

 

like Wisconsin it’s interesting this piece of legislation was “crucial “ in the middle of a pandemic where many people have stopped paying registration and insurance due to job loss.

one would hope there is some sort of silver lining considering all the far more important issues going on this year

 

They do? None such ever in my household, not at our trim levels.

And if I learn of such items undisclosed, they will be getting new tin foil hats, or worse.

They are? Not in any state where I've ever registered. Odometers were read only when changing ownership, and during the former emissions tests, a program that was terminated some time back.

I hope everyone understands that this would involve a lot of double counting, as road maintenance workers also get salaries and pensions and other worker benefits.

 

This article would illustrate my jaded view on these type of taxes and the type of Government officials who often are in charge of them and the distribution of these funds..

This incident is in Virginia and is pertinent to this discussion but I suspect you could google almost any State Transportation Department and come up with very similar articles

VDOT Official Sentenced for $11 Million Bribe Scheme | USAO-EDVA | Department of Justice

 

All you need to implement a per mile road tax is to read the odometer when the car is sold.
Here's how:
- on your annual renewal the state bills owners for an "average" number of miles (maybe 10K or 12K miles)
- people can accept this and pay it and the estimated odometer reading is updated and reported every year in the bill
- when the car is sold, the odometer is read and the owner pays the difference or gets a refund
- there is a small penalty for under payment more than some percentage, maybe 25%
- at any time the owner can voluntarily increase the estimated miles per year
- at any time the owner request a decrease in miles per year by getting the odometer read at any car dealer or inspection station, etc.
(car dealers would do this for free just to get you in to their service dept. and/or to look at new cars)

Mike

 

Hence the words "most"

@ registration odometer readings.
I've registered vehicles in 12 states.
They all used to odometer statements. This is why you commonly see registration entries in CARFAX. My CFO tracks all of this, so it may have gone by the board but.....'muscle memory.'
52 states.....52 standards.
There are always slow kids in the class.

My 06 Envoy has an IMEI/SIM # as do all of the newer vehicles I own except for my Kawasaki.
My work car has them, although not OEM.

Very soon, finding a car that's not internet connected will be as uncommon as a G2 Prius with its original catalytic converter.
And now.....in the name of "tax fairness" or whatever they're going to call it......dot.gov will probably deem it necessary to put ANOTHER tracking device in your car so that drivers can pay their "fair share" on the road.

I don't mind the surveillance.
That's already happening.
It's the graft and corruption....be it from "friends of governors" who get the contracts to to equip your cars and track your miles driven.....or their spouses and kids.

.....and let's not forget 'sons of POTUSes"...both recent flavors have......."interesting" examples.

 

My 2000 Tundra, 2008 Corolla LE, & 2017 Prius trim 2 definitely do not have that.