!??? check this out :CNN says "Forget the gas tax - a driving tax may be next" wow

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Washington lawmakers are kicking around a new idea to help raise funds to fix our highways and infrastructure: a national driving tax charging motorists by the mile. A driving tax could either replace the current 18.4 cent a gallon federal gas tax or, possibly, add to it. Gas spending and prices by state
Prices at the pump can vary widely among states due to a number of factors. More
Because greater fuel economy is letting motorists drive more miles using less gas, the current gas tax that funds the federal government's efforts to build and maintain highways isn't generating enough money.
A driving tax, officially known as a "vehicle miles traveled" tax, could close that gap.
While many see a driving tax as more efficient than the gas tax, there are privacy concerns over how driving information would be collected. Plus, lawmakers opposed to the idea say it places a heavier burden on motorists from rural states.
"It's a true user tax," said Ken Orski, publisher of the infrastructure industry publication Innovation NewsBriefs and a former transportation official in the Nixon and Ford administrations. "But there are serious political problems with this proposal."
Although there's currently no bill proposing such a tax, lawmakers are looking into it.
Earlier this year, North Dakota Democrat and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad asked the Congressional Budget Office to study the idea. In March CBO issued a report that said such a tax was feasible and had many advantages over a gas tax.
"Because highway costs are more directly determined by miles driven than by fuel used, appropriately designed [mileage] taxes can do more to improve the efficiency of road use than fuel taxes can," the report said.
The CBO report came on the heels of two congressional commissions that recommended implementing such a tax, said Orski.
Last week, the publication The Hill reported that draft transportation legislation from the Obama administration included the driving tax, although administration officials told the paper that it was just an idea and was not supported by the president.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment by CNNMoney.
The state of Oregon is currently conducting a pilot program to evaluate the idea.
Still, with motorists already paying near record gas prices, the driving tax could be a tough sell.
How much it might cost: The cost to drivers would depend on how much money the government wanted to raise. To maintain the current collection level of about $35 billion a year, the tax would be just under a penny a mile for an average passenger car, said Orski.
That would cost the average driver of a Toyota Camry, which gets about 380 miles per tank of gas, about $3.40 per fill up -- roughly the same as the current gas tax.
But it could also be quite a bit higher.
The $35 billion or so generated each year from the federal gas tax hasn't been enough to cover all the nation's road needs. Between 2008 and 2010 the federal government had to supplement the Highway Trust Fund by an additional $30 billion, according to the CBO report.
So it stands to reason that if a driving tax replaced the gas tax, it might be two or three cents a mile as opposed to under a penny. Or the driving tax could be collected in addition to the gas tax.
Conversely, road spending could be cut, as some Republicans are proposing.
Pros and cons: The driving tax could be collected by mail following an electronic reading of a vehicle's odometer at the gas station. It could also be tabulated using on-board GPS technology that records mileage driven.
The driving tax is seen as a more precise way to charge motorists for road use.
While the gas tax is an approximate measure of how much wear and tear a vehicle puts on the roads, with heavier vehicles generally using more gas and so paying more taxes, the mileage tax could be based on a specific vehicle's make, year and model.
A triple-axle truck, for example, causes less road damage than a double-axle truck of the same weight because the weight is more evenly distributed. So the triple axle would be charged less.
Adding GPS technology enables a whole other level of pricing. Motorists could be charged different rates for travel on different roads during different times of the day. This is a form of congestion pricing, a concept that's generally seen as an effective tool in reducing traffic jams.
But installing GPS technology in cars and giving that data to the government raises a whole series of privacy concerns.
CBO anticipated such concerns in its report.
It said GPS technology that records a vehicle's general but not specific location could ease those concerns.
Also, on board computers could be used to calculate the vehicle's final bill and merely transmit that information to the government, keeping the actual path of the vehicle private.
Like the gas tax, a mileage tax would also tend to have a higher impact on people in rural areas. Rural residents tend to drive larger cars and have longer commutes.
Those concerns have led to staunch opposition to the driving tax from some representatives of rural states.
Published: May 18, 2011: 5:28 AM ET

 

Original Publication Site Link http://money.cnn.com/2011/05/18/news/economy/gas_tax_drivers/index.htm

Views: 67

Comment

You need to be a member of 12160 Social Network to add comments!

Join 12160 Social Network

"Destroying the New World Order"

TOP CONTENT THIS WEEK

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!

mobile page

12160.info/m

12160 Administrators

 

Latest Activity

tjdavis posted a video

This is Paris Now… You Won’t See This in the Tourist Brochures

In this video, I take you through Marché Barbès and its surrounding neighbourhoods — an area that reflects the modern, complex face of Paris most tourists ne...
3 hours ago
Doc Vega posted a blog post

Trump's Big Beautiful Bill Passes Amidst Democrat Lies About a Tax cut for the Rich Being Averted

AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.It’s over, folks. President Trump and congressional Republicans aimed to…See More
18 hours ago
Doc Vega posted blog posts
yesterday
cheeki kea commented on Doc Vega's blog post Government Issued Wearables? What’s Wrong With this Picture?
"I wonder what wearables must have been like before the last reset. "
Wednesday
Burbia commented on Burbia's video
Tuesday
Doc Vega commented on tjdavis's blog post National Blueprint For Biodefense
"Another scare tactic to push people into anew regime of vaccinations! Either that, or this is a…"
Tuesday
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Tuesday
Sandy posted a video

Dr. Mike Yeadon Speaks Out Against Digital ID, CBDCs, and Agenda 2030

Dr. Mike Yeadon, ex-Pfizer VP, urges public rejection of digital ID, CBDCs, and Agenda 2030, warning of future restrictions on freedom and privacy.
Tuesday
Burbia posted a video

"EVERYONE'S BEEN SHOT UP HERE": Arsonists Set Wildfire In Idaho, Open Fire On Firefighters, Police

- Shocking news just broke that multiple firefighters and officers were shot in an ambush at the Canfield Mountain Natural Area in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.Acco...
Monday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

Well Known Wilderness Photographer Disappears in the Cascades-Guess Why?

 In August of 2023 another aficionado of the great outdoors went missing. The chilling revelations…See More
Sunday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

The Draconian Show

Sometimes I talk to my invisible friend, IkeHe comes from another dimension when magnetic fields…See More
Jun 27
tjdavis posted a blog post
Jun 26
Doc Vega posted a blog post
Jun 25
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Jun 24
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Jun 23
Doc Vega favorited tjdavis's photo
Jun 22
Doc Vega commented on tjdavis's photo
Thumbnail

Game Night

"Ha! Good one!"
Jun 22
Doc Vega commented on FREEDOMROX's blog post MRNA VACCINES: Question
"Listen man I know where you're at but back in October of 2023 thru December of 2023 for months…"
Jun 22
tjdavis posted a video

Architecton | Official Trailer HD | A24

SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/A24subscribeWritten and directed by Victor Kossakovsky and starring Michele De Lucchi. ARCHITECTON – Coming Soon RELEASE DATE: Comin...
Jun 22
tjdavis posted photos
Jun 22

© 2025   Created by truth.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

content and site copyright 12160.info 2007-2019 - all rights reserved. unless otherwise noted