• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Transportation secretary says taxing how much we drive may replace gasoline tax

T

theTANTALIZER

Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2009
Messages
58
Reaction score
9
Gender
Undisclosed
Political Leaning
Undisclosed
WASHINGTON (AP) — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says he wants to consider taxing motorists based on how many miles they drive rather than how much gasoline they burn — an idea that has angered drivers in some states where it has been proposed.

Gasoline taxes that for nearly half a century have paid for the federal share of highway and bridge construction can no longer be counted on to raise enough money to keep the nation's transportation system moving, LaHood said in an interview with The Associated Press.

"We should look at the vehicular miles program where people are actually clocked on the number of miles that they traveled," the former Illinois Republican lawmaker said.

Most transportation experts see a vehicle miles traveled tax as a long-term solution, but Congress is being urged to move in that direction now by funding pilot projects.

The idea also is gaining ground in several states. Governors in Idaho and Rhode Island are talking about such programs, and a North Carolina panel suggested in December the state start charging motorists a quarter-cent for every mile as a substitute for the gas tax.

A tentative plan in Massachusetts to use GPS chips in vehicles to charge motorists by the mile has drawn complaints from drivers who say it's an Orwellian intrusion by government into the lives of citizens. Other motorists say it eliminates an incentive to drive more fuel-efficient cars since gas guzzlers will be taxed at the same rate as fuel sippers.


more here : http://www.newsday.com/news/nationwo...05,print.story
 
theTANTALIZER said:
A tentative plan in Massachusetts to use GPS chips in vehicles to charge motorists by the mile....
Click to expand...
I expect the "pro-privacy" Obamanistas and the rabid left-wing to disagree with this rather loudly.

Let's see if that expectation is met.
 
Sort of the exact opposite of what we should be incentivizing, and it would be horribly inefficient to set up.

All around terrible idea that doesn't require partisanship.
 
That's bull****.

People can be taxed on gas (a product they choose to buy), just like we are charged for buying a TV or new car. They should not be taxed on how far they travel (no matter the means of travel).

Next thing is forcing everyone to wear pedometers and forcing them to add the annual count of how much they walked to their tax form in April?
 
I don't like this for two reasons. Firstly, I agree with the GPS being an intrusion people. What's wrong with the odometer? Secondly, taxing gasoline rather than mileage encourages the use of fuel efficient vehicles. Eliminating that factor would be regressive.
 
theTANTALIZER said:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says he wants to consider taxing motorists based on how many miles they drive rather than how much gasoline they burn — an idea that has angered drivers in some states where it has been proposed.

Gasoline taxes that for nearly half a century have paid for the federal share of highway and bridge construction can no longer be counted on to raise enough money to keep the nation's transportation system moving, LaHood said in an interview with The Associated Press.

"We should look at the vehicular miles program where people are actually clocked on the number of miles that they traveled," the former Illinois Republican lawmaker said.

Most transportation experts see a vehicle miles traveled tax as a long-term solution, but Congress is being urged to move in that direction now by funding pilot projects.

The idea also is gaining ground in several states. Governors in Idaho and Rhode Island are talking about such programs, and a North Carolina panel suggested in December the state start charging motorists a quarter-cent for every mile as a substitute for the gas tax.

A tentative plan in Massachusetts to use GPS chips in vehicles to charge motorists by the mile has drawn complaints from drivers who say it's an Orwellian intrusion by government into the lives of citizens. Other motorists say it eliminates an incentive to drive more fuel-efficient cars since gas guzzlers will be taxed at the same rate as fuel sippers.


more here : http://www.newsday.com/news/nationwo...05,print.story
Click to expand...

.............Money Whores...tax and spend. They care not about the environment, IT`S THE MONEY...trust me. Now on the off chance that this is about the environment,...Tax the gas guzzler if it is being used as a status symbol. The money whore in his or her gigantic Navigator or Esscumlade running to the grocery store minus the other 9 passengers. The dualy without the cargo. The Hummer without a war. You get the picture. TAX the rich... :2wave:
 
Goobieman said:
I expect the "pro-privacy" Obamanistas and the rabid left-wing to disagree with this rather loudly.

Let's see if that expectation is met.
Click to expand...

Well then, allow this rabid left-winger to disagree with this rather loudly. This is absurd. Why the **** should people be taxed on the number of miles they drive instead of the amount of fuel they consume? That's a completely arbitrary standard that doesn't discourage gasoline consumption at all, invades privacy, and completely distorts the public costs associated with driving.

If the only public cost associated with driving was the wear and tear of roads, then this might make a little more sense. But that is but one small fraction of the public costs. We also have the air pollution costs from fuel exhausts and the national security costs of being dependent on petrocracies.

A $1-3 per gallon tax on gasoline is much better than this stupid plan.
 
Folks, this is NOT going to happen. Don't fret about it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom