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This sounds fair except that trucks perform an essential service. Heavy taxation of the trucking industry just raises the price of food and other necessities.
by blisterpeanuts 6y ago
This sounds fair except that trucks perform an essential service. Heavy taxation of the trucking industry just raises the price of food and other necessities.
- horsawlarway 6y agoSure, but you're still paying the same tax, its just buried under a different line item. And at least for non-food goods, I tend to think usage taxes are appropriate, since consumption (usage) tends to go up as income goes up. I'm particularly interested to see where we go as more and more shopping moves to home delivery. In theory, you save wear because each individual isn't driving to the store and back, but you're also increasing the number of large/heavy vehicles. And heavy vehicles account for basically all road damage.
- ggreer 6y agoShipping is important but current trucks aren’t the only way to transport goods. Taxing vehicles based on their road wear would incentivize the industry to move to smaller trucks that don’t cause as much damage to roads.
- blisterpeanuts 6y agoBut you'd need more trucks to move equivalent goods; seems like a wash to me.
- ggreer 6y agoThe point is to tax externalities so that incentives are aligned. In this case you'd get much less road wear for the same cargo delivered.