3 ms·

Which is always easier said than done and a bit simplistic. The primary factor derived to date has been to tie the wear factor to axle weight. Meaning an empt

Which is always easier said than done and a bit simplistic. The primary factor derived to date has been to tie the wear factor to axle weight. Meaning an empty vehicle made for transporting goods would be in the range of passenger vehicles. In addition to simple overloading, improperly balanced loading represents more damage for the same total vehicle weight. So each axle must be weighed in a loaded state on each individual trip to determine the presumptive proportional tax burden. All of which creates overhead in the form of people to be paid, equipment to build/own/maintain, time lost at all stages, the usual political influence problems, jusrisdiction of different areas of road, implementing policy, and corruption. Most of it will end end up as pass through cost to individuals either way as both consumer goods and roadways are deemed essential. It's ultimately a fairness exercise of tax distribution so like most things in the public interest the arena any idea must be fought in is politics.

beatgammit 7y ago
Don't we already weigh trucks as they enter and leave the state, as well as sometimes in the middle of the state? I don't know what goes on there already, but we could certainly charge trucks based on loaded miles in the state, which should be pretty easy to calculate since they have very predictable driving patterns and take fairly detailed logs. For local deliveries, we could just charge based on the max load and allow drivers to prove anything otherwise. And yes, consumers will pay regardless, but at least the difference is reflected in the cost of goods. It could very well be that certain local goods are cheaper than imported goods after road costs are properly factored in, which could change how much is imported. However, this feels a bit regressive since poorer people will pay more of the cost since roads are largely funded by income tax, but that can be accounted for by shifting other taxes. The idea isn't too punish poor people or shipping customers, but to allow the market to work more efficiently.

beatgammit 7y ago

Don't we already weigh trucks as they enter and leave the state, as well as sometimes in the middle of the state? I don't know what goes on there already, but we could certainly charge trucks based on loaded miles in the state, which should be pretty easy to calculate since they have very predictable driving patterns and take fairly detailed logs. For local deliveries, we could just charge based on the max load and allow drivers to prove anything otherwise. And yes, consumers will pay regardless, but at least the difference is reflected in the cost of goods. It could very well be that certain local goods are cheaper than imported goods after road costs are properly factored in, which could change how much is imported. However, this feels a bit regressive since poorer people will pay more of the cost since roads are largely funded by income tax, but that can be accounted for by shifting other taxes. The idea isn't too punish poor people or shipping customers, but to allow the market to work more efficiently.