Taxing Drivers By Mile

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/02/14/eveningnews/main674120.shtml

This is a CBS Evening News story.

If California starts this, the rest of the states will begin to consider it
also, particularly if California is successful in implementing it with
minimum political damage to those legislators voting for it and the Governor
for signing it.

 

Welcome dude.. you got just what you voted for That's the tip of the
iceberg.. the best is yet to come.. The full details of Bush's budget hasn't
seen light of day, yet.. There's quite a bit in there that will directly
affect your own little world..

 

the complaint is that someone who burns less fuel while doing more
miles, may pay more than someone with a gas guzzler. some states have
done road usage assessments for years based on the weight of the vehicle
when renewing the yearly tag. other states have done it based on
original cost with a age-based depreciation. while weight could be a
factor, it's not accurate if someone with a heavy vehicle pays a higher
tag rate while hardly using it.

The only really accurate way to asses usage is to make every road in the
country a toll road and users pay for the maintenance based on nothing
more than their use of the roads they travel. But just like a national
sales tax to replace the income tax, no politician will vote for it,
since it would remind people, every day of the year, exactly how much it
costs them for all the free stuff the government gives them.

 

By "free", you mean "taxpayer paid". TANSTAAFL

 

Actually Texas looked at this last session. It was originally part of the
360 page transportation bill to raise all kinds of fees (not taxes) for road
use to pay for Perry's new highways. It never got out of committee with
that part still in. Since Perry didn't get the mileage fee he wanted they
instead changing upgraded roads to toll roads. Guess we did get that mileage
tax / fee after all.

 

perstunkly!

 

Hello Elmer,

I am asssuming that Perry's new highways is that proposed 1/4 mile wide
highway/train/etc that has been proposed??

Right at the moment, I can not recall the title used for it, other than
Trans Texas ??

 

in message

Yep that is kind of odd when those of us who ride
more than we dirve will just disconect the
Odometer. 8^) That or be riding motorcycles that
are pre-computer control. I suspect that older
motorcycles and cars that can't support the
equipment will become more desired and expensive.
hmm, might have to find me some spare 73' chevy
pickup parts.

Agreed and all the while I'll be laughing at the
poor fools paying for the equipment and the taxes.
While my Gold Wing only pays the same tax as
before and the truck even less. Heck the truck
only got topped of 5 or 6 times? (low guesstimate)
the wing got topped of 3 times a week from April
through early December. 8^) That or we could all
start flying ultralights...no mileage tax.
--
Keith Schiffner
"For none of us can ever express the exact measure
of his needs or his thoughts or his sorrows; and
human speech is like a cracked kettle on which we
tap crude rhythms for bears to dance to, while we
long to make music that will melt the stars. "
Gustave Flaubert

or for those who prefer the K.I.S.S. version.

"The human language is like a cracked kettle on
which we beat out a tune for a dancing bear, when
we hope with our music to move the stars." Gustave
Flaubert

 

I agree. I don't see how this even made the news. We got aways to go
before this could be implemented

 

Much closer than you think.. LOL.. not to worry, though.. As long as you
stay on the reservation, you won't be affected.. hmmmm.. Just the ones who
actually get out and travel around or try to make a living will take care of
your part... Hopefully .. the gasolene prices on the "reservation" will get
up to $7.00 a gallon, so you can pay your fair share.. huh ?

 

Yeah that is basically it the Trans-Texas Corridor.