4 ms·

You could call it a vehicle registration fee.

• protomyth 13y ago
  If your vehicle registration fee was in the several thousand dollar range, it would cripple a goodly number of poor and low income folks.
  • toomuchtodo 13y ago
    They're already paying the taxes; its just streamlining the collection. If they're crippled by current fuel taxes, they'd still be crippled (or rather, unable to afford) taxes under the proposed scheme as well. See my post where I outline the math: https://news.ycombinator.com/edit?id=6623693 https://news.ycombinator.com/edit?id=6623693
    • protomyth 13y ago
      No, it is easier for people to pay small chunks at different times then to be confronted by one huge bill. Planning is not something innate in people. This is the exact reason withholdings were created. Number 2, the cost addition to government budget should be unacceptable and the cost of this program will increase the tax beyond what is needed.
• toomuchtodo 13y ago
  Exactly. I live in Illinois. I already pay $101/year for my license plate. Our federal + state gas tax comes out to be 57.5 cents per gallon [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_taxes_in_the_United_States http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_taxes_in_the_United_States]. If I drive the average number of miles per year (13,476 miles; http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/onh00/bar8.htm http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/onh00/bar8.htm), and assuming the vehicle gets a modest 25 mpg, I'm currently paying $309.948/year in fuel taxes. So, between the $310 for fuel taxes and the $101 for the license plate/tag fee, we're at $411/year, or $34.25/month. I pay more in car insurance that that. Flat rate it and lets be done with it.