29 ms·

Instead of a per-mile tax it would probably be more productive to just increase vehicle registration costs by $250, which is the average fuel tax paid each year

by ew 15y ago

Instead of a per-mile tax it would probably be more productive to just increase vehicle registration costs by $250, which is the average fuel tax paid each year per vehicle.

dalke 15y ago
Or as the article says: "The best and least complicated solution is to raise the fuel tax, which hasn't changed since 1993." But apparently the politics to put GPS trackers in every car, or odometer-based taxes, is apparently easier than raising taxes? Ahh, right, 238 Representatives and 41 Senators (all Republicans excepting 2 and 1 Democrats, respectively) have sworn a pledge that they will refuse any such action. Even may the bridges crumble underneath our feet, they will not raise taxes on us.
protomyth 15y ago
The problem there is that you are punishing people buying more efficient, lighter vehicles that don't damage the roads as much as an SUV.
- mahyarm 15y ago
  Make the registration increase in proportion to vehicle weight. 0.10 per pound. Easy, fair, obvious and we have weight stations everywhere already for trucks. Incentivizes car manufacturers to make lighter cars too.
  - danielharan 15y ago
    This also rewards light gas guzzlers. Hiking the tax on gas is simple and can be adjusted as the car stock gets more efficient - and this rewards the most efficient vehicles.
  - dalke 15y ago
    "No, really. I took the seats out months ago. And the spare tire and jack. And I always drive with 1/16th of a tank of gas." There, saved ya' at least $5!
    - evan_ 15y ago
      Surely there's already some kind of database of the gross vehicle weight of every model of car for safety standards, there's no need to weigh every single car on the road.
      - dalke 15y ago
        Yes, that can be used as a proxy for the actual weight, but weight itself is a proxy for the amount of impact the vehicle has on the road. Someone with a 5 ton RV who uses it twice a year to drive to Florida for the winter has less impact than someone with a truck weighing 4 tons who drives around the county all day, with a full load of tools and other equipment. Unlike a fuel tax, a weight tax would affect the RV owner more than the truck owner, which doesn't seem right. If someone reworks VW Beetle into a stretch version, or adds armor to a BMW, then are they charged based on the original weight or the current weight?

by ew 15y ago

Instead of a per-mile tax it would probably be more productive to just increase vehicle registration costs by $250, which is the average fuel tax paid each year per vehicle.

dalke 15y ago

Or as the article says: "The best and least complicated solution is to raise the fuel tax, which hasn't changed since 1993." But apparently the politics to put GPS trackers in every car, or odometer-based taxes, is apparently easier than raising taxes? Ahh, right, 238 Representatives and 41 Senators (all Republicans excepting 2 and 1 Democrats, respectively) have sworn a pledge that they will refuse any such action. Even may the bridges crumble underneath our feet, they will not raise taxes on us.

protomyth 15y ago

The problem there is that you are punishing people buying more efficient, lighter vehicles that don't damage the roads as much as an SUV.

mahyarm 15y ago
Make the registration increase in proportion to vehicle weight. 0.10 per pound. Easy, fair, obvious and we have weight stations everywhere already for trucks. Incentivizes car manufacturers to make lighter cars too.
- danielharan 15y ago
  This also rewards light gas guzzlers. Hiking the tax on gas is simple and can be adjusted as the car stock gets more efficient - and this rewards the most efficient vehicles.
- dalke 15y ago
  "No, really. I took the seats out months ago. And the spare tire and jack. And I always drive with 1/16th of a tank of gas." There, saved ya' at least $5!
  - evan_ 15y ago
    Surely there's already some kind of database of the gross vehicle weight of every model of car for safety standards, there's no need to weigh every single car on the road.
    - dalke 15y ago
      Yes, that can be used as a proxy for the actual weight, but weight itself is a proxy for the amount of impact the vehicle has on the road. Someone with a 5 ton RV who uses it twice a year to drive to Florida for the winter has less impact than someone with a truck weighing 4 tons who drives around the county all day, with a full load of tools and other equipment. Unlike a fuel tax, a weight tax would affect the RV owner more than the truck owner, which doesn't seem right. If someone reworks VW Beetle into a stretch version, or adds armor to a BMW, then are they charged based on the original weight or the current weight?