More states considering pay-by-the-mile Car Taxes
 

The age of free driving could be coming to an end. With the advent of GPS navigation that electronically tracks how far you drive, more states are looking at charging drivers by the mile.
Oregon, for instance, is among several states that are taking a hard look at the idea, reports Paul Eisenstein of the Detroit Bureau. As proposed in the Oregon legislature, drivers could be charged 0.85 cents per mile through 2015, with the figure jumping to 1.85 cents per mile by 2018. The bill, for the moment, appears stalled. Texas and Minnesota are reportedly also taking a look.


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The same technology that tracks how far you drive can easily be used to track where you drive. They don't need to know that. :shifty:

I don't think they need to bother with that as mileage is recorded on the annual vehicle inspection.

August, some states don't perform annual inspections, but that doesn't really matter, either.

In Maryland, all drivers on vehicles not otherwise waived (historic, or above a certain age, mostly) participate in the Vehicle Emissions Inspection Program (VEIP) every other year, meaning two years between tests. Mileage is recorded at that time. For taxation purposes, it would not be a great stretch to take the last two VEIP mileage readings, average them, and bill half annually as tax.

If they're going to tax driving miles, those funds should be solely for maintenance of road infrastructure, though; city/state-based mass transit could perhaps benefit as well, both with increased ridership (people don't want another tax burden) and some financial benefit from the tax itself. What I wouldn't want to see is that mileage tax going into, say, a new stadium project. But when have we ever enjoyed having a direct say in the employment of our taxes?

Not all state require annual inspection.


This is a crap tax and cash grab. The car is taxed for sale, gas, registration. When is enough enough? People already stay home when gas is high. Now they will stay home permanently with this tax. Therefore, the idiots with this idea will lose on the gas tax for lack of purchase and mile tax for lack of driving.

The government is simply stupid. I chalk this up as being stupid as the Window Tax. :doh:

:har::har::har:

That's rich! O'Malley will raid it like a beer store on Superbowl day! You know as will as I the money would be funneled to some crap in the State of Confusion (Maryland).

So, $1.85/mile at my 100 miles/week at 52 weeks per year is $9250.00 in mile tax. Why not just put a gun to my head and pull my wallet out? No, wait, they already do that!

That's what I figured. It'd be a far less irritating way of bringing this about than forcing people to purchase special tracking equipment for their vehicles.

Doens't bother me at all, I walk or bicycle most everywhere. I haven't owned a car in 5 years.

I'm sure the esteemed Government will find a way. They don't like loop holes. :O:

They can institute a bicycle tax if they want. Doesn't bother me at all, I haven't ridden a bicycle in, ... well more than 5 years! :D

That's great but... It is however unfortunate that our government with the assistance of ourselves were sold on urban sprawl. The American dream in the suburbs!!!!!!!!!!!! Enjoy the good life outside the city. Own you own home. As we know it folks worked in the cities and required transportation in the form of a car. Now they want to tax on the mileage?

.85/cent/mile will not fly. I think this proposal is way off base.

:har:

Sounds like a plan. Hell, the bike is using the road correct? See at the tax assessors office. :D

They should institute a spandex tax. That would really get the bicyclists angry! :DL

LOL in re: part 1.

I read it as 1 point 85 cents (less than two cents), not one dollar eighty five cents, but either way, I get you.

Any .whatever cent is outrageous! :DL

Yes, and carry on water bottle tax as well!

In that case just make sure every day you drive to work you drive home backwards.

Problem Legislators?

:O:

Road wear is mainly the result of trucking, not autos. This is really stupid and won't work anyway.

Agreed, it is stupid. Trucks pay a heavy road use tax already because of road wear created by the truck.

That is a good chunk of change say the average person puts 12,000 miles per year on their car they will pay $10200 per year that is more than many people actually paid for their cars to start with.Now most families have two regularly driven vehicles so they will pay roughly $20400 per year.If they ever pass this I bet a lot of tax collectors will be seeing guns in their faces when they come to collect.

Just another scheme to get money they already put tons of taxes and fees on us as it is with cars yet we live in nation that relies on private transport unless you live in a large city you need a car to even be able to work and then they want to charge a low income person who has an old car only even worth a few grand and only making maybe $20,000.00 a year half his income just to get to work.:hmmm:

I mean why not encourage car pooling or something? That is how you can tell it is not really about conserving fuel or anything of that nature.The only way this would fly at all is if they massively improved public transportation in the US which would cost billions.