1.5 cents per mile instead of gasoline tax

Our insurance company is already doing this with our car policies. Each year they call & get an odometer reading. If we cheat the system with false numbers, I suppose when we sold, it'd get back to them, and even if we dropped our current insurance company, they'd probably have our numbers in the data base, and we'd be on the hook to the next company we signed up with.
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Don't be fooled, this is government looking for a way to increase revenue, not maintain it.

 

I drove for an LTL (Less than a Truck Load) carrier, our trip sheets had mileage broken down per state so the company could pay fuel tax to each state that I traveled in. The company kept a close eye on our numbers and would kick it back to us if the numbers were not right.

 

In California the smog check is bi-annual & there is no smog check for at least the Prius if not all hybrids.

 

Unfortunately california caught up with texas, and hybrids need smog again as of last month. And really isn't a smog check much better than a battery warranty (CARBs previous answer) to check if the car is polluting.

Hybrid Vehicle Exempted From Initial Smog Check
Ofcourse texas smog and safety inspections cost less money than just the smog in california, but then the question is why aren't they cheaper and easier on newer easier to test cars in california. The newer tests work with gasoline cars 1996 and later.

 

yep. It is going to be every 2 years in california for hybrids older than 4 years old, or on change of ownership, the same as normal cars of the same age.
http://www.bar.ca.gov/pdf/Smog_Check_Requirements_by_Vehicle_Type.pdf

One difference between california and texas, is vehicles 1996 and newer use the newer less expensive test in texas, in california its 2000 and newer. In 10 years that probably won't matter. I'm not sure what most other states do, but the california hybrid loophole was related to that old BAR-97 test that is no longer used for newer cars. California tests diesels as old as 1998 which requires expensive equipment, texas only checks that the emissions equipment is there on old diesels and checks the new clean 2006 and newer diesels that can use cheaper equipment.

 

I see dedicated propane & natural gas still remain exempt. Our hybrid is 10 years old now. This will be the 1st time we'll get a notice of inspection required. Oh well - the Feds have to luxury of just printing money ... the state has to get money some where else.
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I shouldn't think that 10 year old cars should ever be exempt from smog checks - well, unless they're nuclear powered.
There are too many kids out there doing goofy things with their exhausts and intakes, and a lot of non-oil-checkers have motors that drink and smoke.

Yeah....give newer Priuses a break. I get that since a 2-4 year old G3 probably IS as clean as it should be, but after that you should have to prove it, just like everybody else that you share the roads (and air) with.

 

State of texas collects about $7/year from the inspections enough to fund the bureaucracy of inspections. Not wasteful government at all considering how much pollution has been removed from vehicles in our cities. The rest of the money goes to the independant shops that do the inspection, and their is enough competition to keep prices down. I would rather pay $14 every 2 years than $7 every one to support the bureaucracy and that probably is enough to catch the problems now that cars are more reliable. California has worse problems, so I can understand the bureaucracy costing more, but it always seemed excessive when I lived there.

 

Bureaucracy is always excessive unless it is protecting your air and water, providing your sewage disposal, catching and punishing your criminals etc. No one wants to pay taxes. Try living in a country where they aren't collected and used as well as here.

Why are most healthy economies in areas with relatively higher taxes? Why do more of the rich live there too?

 

Texas probably taxes a little too little and errs on the side of having some government too small. We all know its corrupt but want a little more roads. The clean energy initiatives are more effective than california's.

Things that too big government in California did in the interest of protecting the environment.
An example was keeping an older more expensive test for emissions for years when it didn't do any good. A good example of rapid growth in this area of california government is AQUIP started with $30M in funding in 2007, but AFAIK it has ballooned to $200M this year for AQUIP and low carbon transportation. .

Top 5
RANKED: The 50 US State Economies - Business Insider
Montana, Texas, NY, Alaska, Washington -> That looks like 1 high tax and 4 low tax states. Of course population growth and oil helped the first 2 ;-) low tax states. New york, Texas, and Washington have a lot of rich people. I don't see how this data correlates with high taxes though, NY has lots of tax loopholes for rich people ;-)

 

@$)(%(&$(**%)(#&^*+@%)&( They aren't even testing the engine emissions. Just a visual to make sure there isn't EPA approved mods which I suspect is far less likely to happen on a Prius than a Civic or a Scion TC for example.

Just another money grab it would appear. At least we have 6 years from purchase before the initial check unless it transfers hands then it's after 4 years for that transaction.

 

We test all the gasoline cars younger than 25 years old in texas. When I lived in california they tested the cars. I can't imagine they don't. What they don't test is the real old cars or vehicles over 14,000 lbs, or diesels before some of the newer pollution controls. Those just get visual inspections and many times the inspectors don't know what they are looking for.
California Smog Check | DMV.org

I don't trust 10 year old anything, things break and need to be tested, but its not an expensive or time consuming test if the cars have odbII. In texas less than 1% of these cars fail. The pre odbII cars here (pre-1996) fail 4% of the time, and when they fail they pollute on average much more than the 1996+ fails.

It doesn't need to be a money grab. Like I said texas only collects $7 in fees from the program. I don't know current california fees. California charges more to register newer cars than older ones. This encourages older more polluting cars on the road. If you are upset about fees, those are the ones I would be more concerned about, as it promotes more polluted air.

 

Absolutely! if Oregon state tax is 30 cents per gallon, anyone in car averaging less than 20MPG wins and everyone else looses.

36c/gal with 15,000mi gives 27MPG (which is fleet avg) not 25.

 

^^^wasn't I close enough for gov't work?

 

I have serious doubts about BEVs driving 15,000mi a year but yes close enough.

Pers I am all for doubling gas tax, if it used to fix roads and reduce deficit. Ross Perot had offered it back in 1992 as the means to pay off national debt.

 

I agree whole heartedly: the UMich car data guy shows the US avg is about 12000 mile/year maybe even 11,500 per vehicle on the road. But I know when Virginia had the hybrid fee it was 15000 mile/yr basis, so I do not know why gov't chooses the 15000.

Keep in mind we don't know Georgia's math I was just taking a shot at it. Georgia has the lowest gaso tax in the nation, but that's a misnomer. In Georgia, the gaso tax is mostly local tax so if you just look at state tax component it's very low. I saw a reference that as of July 1 Georgia combined state/local gaso tax will be about 36 cents/gal. So that's what I used.

 

In CA the cost of the test is determined by the facility (Usually ~$30). Once you pass it costs $8.25 for the certificate that goes to the state. This is once every 2 years after the car is 6 years old. This isn't highly wasteful government IMO. Note that it used to be every year. So a 10 year old car had 9 inspections. Now a 10 year old car gets it 3 times (6, 8 and 10). To CARB's credit, they decide to focus the testing on the cars most likely to have issues.

Hybrids, EVs and NG cars are completely exempt...its been 10+ years since I've had a smog check.

Mike