Cars getting too fuel efficient....tax on driving

It's crazy, just tax gasoline like they do in Europe, as for pure electrics you might bump the sales tax, we have enough different taxes already.

 

So, for those that are so vehemently anti tax, please come up with a reasoned, reasonable way to pay for the roads, not just the roads we routinely use, but he ones we benefit from as well.
Once again, if as a society we value a (reasonably) efficient road system, we ought to be willing to pay for it.

Clearly a Prius doesn't do as much wear and tear on the roads as a F250 pickup (I'm leaving transport trucks out of this conversation for now) but they each derive roughly equal benefit from that road. Is it only wear and tear we need to deal with?

How about bicycles, or motorcycles? A pedal bike does virtually no damage to the road, but pays no road taxes, but does benefit from the existence of the pavement.
Like so many things, the issues are complicated, as might be the solutions.

Icarus

 

Choking on the gnat but swallowing the elephant is poor public policy.

 

Be happy, the politician will figure that out when the bill passes. Your Prius will be required for a Smog check just to register you odometer mileage.

 

The OBDII can read the odometer reading from ECU directly, the tech can cheat but not the machine.
The fake Smog check can no longer perform by substituting a second car awhile back because the VIN can be read.

 

My point about omitting transport trucks (in this discussion) is that is probably a topic for another thread. That said, the issues with transports paying for the roads is very complicated and expensive. Bottom line is that heavy trucks "cost" much more per mile than do cars, obviously, but they also derive a great benefit. The question becomes, yet again, what is "fair" for those to pay for, and how much.

A broad societal transportation policy that tries to use our resources, including fuel, public roadways would be a good discussion. Should we subsidize trucking to "save money" because it is faster door to door, but more expensive environmentally and for the roads, as opposed to encouraging more efficient rail transport? Just one example.

(the same could be said for cars...do we, should we subsidize private cars, by not haivning them pay thier share of the total costs, or would we be smarter to subsidize real transport alternatives for people, so that cars would be less needed? All very complicated questions...and answers.)

Icarus

 

I know Icarus. I did not intend for my post to seem a personal jab.

Subsidizing fossil fuel industry only perpetuates fossil fuel consumption, in this case because it gives an advantage to truck based road transport instead of rail. Let the truck companies pass on the real cost of transport to their consumers. Then the market will have one more signal that it should self-correct from the current rather grotesque state of affairs.

 

Right now, there is no money involved in that odometer reading, so little pressure to get right.

Once actual $$$ become involved, they will go to a machine reading of the ODBII, to take the corruptible clerk out of the loop.

 

All OBDII allow access to the odometer reading, just your cheap OBDII scan tool can't do it.
The Teachstream Pro version can make changes to the odometer reading, see post #5 of
Tech Stream Lite | PriusChat
The old pre-ODBII mechanical type odometer will have to be type in and fraud could happen.

 

OBD1 cars will have to be entered by hand, glad I still have 3 old cars, with one without any OBD. However, Cal smog will find a away to do away with all old cars, that is their goal with making it harder every year for old cars to pass.

 

Just another oil subsidy designed to reward inefficient vehicles. Sponsored by ALEC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the oil industry.

Bob Wilson

 

Or add the tax on initial purchase cost like we do here? Buy a gas guzzling SUV and have $1,000 added to the cost. Buy a Prius or Leaf and pay nothing extra. For an example, at new a Prius has £0 added, whereas a Range Rover has £1080 added.

Car Tax Bands 2014/2015 | Vehicle Road Tax Brackets UK &#124 UK Car Tax Band

It'll never work in the US though as it will just penalise your own manufacturers. Though it would be a good way of encouraging more economical cars. Those who don't want to comply have the tax added. Customers who want a 7 litre gas guzzler getting 7 mpg can still buy such a car but pay a tax for the benefit.

It doesn't penalise the poorer either as they're more likely to buy an economical car and if they don't, then more fool them.

 

This is absurd. The problem isn't good fuel economy, for that all they need to do is raise the gas tax. The problem is the non-fossil fueled car.

Government (that's us, btw) has to make up its mind. .. Do we want people out of ice cars or not?

 

How about another scale?

The more fuel the car uses the higher the tax on purchase BUT if the car is alternative fueled or BEV or plug in, then there's a sliding scale of rebate on purchase price?

That way the gas guzzlers are paying to encourage purchase of hybrids or BEVs. It's working here.

 

Sounds way to complicated. .. different prices at the pump for different individuals?

In theory, burning fossil fuels causes air pollution, acid rain, respiratory disease, cancer, and not to mention climate change. .. so, we make efforts, as instructed and prodded by government, to reduce the use of fossil fuels, and then they slam us with a different tax, which just lowers our incentive to use alternatives? I might as well just burn fossil fuel. Typical government doublespeak.

 

Eh?

Different tax bands on purchase cost of the CAR, as the link shows. The ones will high fuel economy are rated lower and the ones with lower fuel economy are rated higher.

 

Expand this maybe.

http://www.epa.gov/fueleconomy/guzzler/420b13037.pdf