Is Taxing by the Mile in Our Future?
It could well be as states look for ways to make up fuel tax shortfall.
According to a story in USA Today, states are having to find new ways of taxing motorists in order to pay for roads and bridges. This has become necessary as declining gasoline sales has led to declining tax revenue. Couple that with the current administrations aggressive policies to improve mileage, and lack of funds has become a real problem.
With the spotlight on the fluctuating cost of gas, nobody wants to be the one to raise the price by adding taxes. So taxing miles driven has become one of the ways considered to make up the shortfall. USA Today reports that Minnesota and Oregon are already testing technology to keep track of mileage. Other states, including Washington and Nevada, are also looking at similar options. Besides the fact that people are just not happy about any more taxes, having a government agency track mileage raises all sorts of privacy issues. However, deteriorating roads and bridges and increased traffic problems can't be ignored. Like all government agencies are finding in this economy, there is only so much you can do with less money. Without raising taxes on gas, transportation departments have to find a way to fund essential projects. This is just one option being considered.
So how do you feel about it? Is this a tax you could get behind or do you feel the privacy issues outweigh the road improvements the money would fund?
Kristi Reed
9:22 am on Sunday, June 10, 2012
I think this idea is absolutely absurd. If we would allow the government to do this, then we may as well just let them tell us how many miles we can drive, when we can drive, where we can drive, what kind of car we can drive, etc.
Sharon Swanepoel
10:42 am on Sunday, June 10, 2012
I really didn't think this would get any traction when I first heard about it last year so I was really shocked to hear it is still under consideration. I believe it will outrage people across the board. What about truck drivers who literally spend days on the road moving goods across the country and keeping commerce alive, they would be the most impacted. Just another one of those considerations that makes you go, "What are they thinking?"
Catherine S
11:15 am on Sunday, June 10, 2012
For truth and facts about the transportation referendum / TSPLOST please visit TrafficTruth at http://traffictruth.net/, https://www.facebook.com/TrafficTruth, and @TrafficTruth on Twitter
Joey G
12:40 pm on Monday, June 11, 2012
This is nothing but propaganda for the Atlanta area. Barrow County isn't in the Atlanta region.
Tracy Lee
10:22 am on Monday, June 11, 2012
We pay by the mile already with the amount of fuel we purchase. Federal gasoline tax is already very high per gallon, President Obama's dream is to make us drive less and use less gasoline so the side effect is less tax collected. I am not a smoker, however the more federal tax they put on cigarettes the less the government collects because people smoke less, same thing with fuel. I am tired of losing my personal freedoms to all governments. The federal government has a spending problem not a tax collecting problem.
t n spook
8:39 am on Sunday, August 12, 2012
its all bullcrap they need to cut govt paychecks inhalf for anyone making over $35,000 a year-+ stop letting cops drive their cars all over the world. they need to bring home the our war machine and stand it down, we dont need their gas we have our own. shut nasa down they are liers. do away with the house of repsenatives, i have a cell phone not a horse it is out dated.-