Tax per gallon, or per mile?

Compared to the loaded semi, the Prius, Fiesta, and even typical SUVs do little more than help wear down the paint stripes with the grit in their tires.

But the semis are not the reason why the highways need to be widened with a second lane. And a third. And a fourth. And a fifth. And a sixth.

 

Fair enough. But if you tax gasoline enough you won't need those extra lanes until everyone has an electric car.

 

I suppose if we all drive electric vehicles we could equitably pay road taxes based on kWh used. Metering could be done at the chargers or vehicle. Either would be easy to do.

Tom

 

What we are all failing to see is those greedy politicians will, in all probability, tax BOTH gasoline and milage.

 

It's like a buffered system. It's not that the same people demanding budget cuts are the same people voting to keep into office those who tax and spend. Once somebody's graft conduit is challenged, those challeged INCREASE effort much like a drowning man fights harder to stay alive.

Anyway, the government needs more money like we need another hole in the head. They need less money. This is one of the primary reasons I bought a Prius. I estimate that in California, which has a total tax of about $0.65/gallon, 15000 miles of driving per annum, and a change of 22 MPG to 50 MPG, that I'm saving 380 gallons of gas a year which is about $245 (of gast tax alone) a year and $1500 a year in general. The other benefits are that I'm keeping money out of the pocket of some Middle Eastern, Russian, Mexican, Venzuelan or African corrupt dictator. Lastly, the air is clearner because of it. It's totally win-win-win anyway you look at it.

Lastly, saying the government needs more money is like saying Michael Moore does good for the world, thus he deserves and needs more food. I don't think so.

 

The higher the traffic density gets the more money per lane built the government gets. There's greater utilization of the infrastructure. This amortizes costs to a greater extent. It's not a burden, it's a good thing.

 

So, what does this comment have to do with the subject of this thread?

Tom

 

I agree completely.....but people are veeeeery goofy when it comes to nuclear anything. We killed a LOT more Japanese (and a Germans) with incendiary bombs during WWII than we did with the two itty-bitty bombs we used in August of '45, and yet people are still horrified that we chose to actually end the war by employing nuclear weapons.
In my 30 years of military service, I've never seen a demonstration against napalm. I can't say the same for the 2 boats that I punched holes in the North Atlantic with....

 

IF the time ever comes where there are simply no gas cars left, then yes we'll have to figure that out. Frankly I don't think that will ever happen. Technology will come up with a synthetic gas we can use in internal combustion.

 

In my state's election last November, there was no buffer. It all happened on the very same ballot.

 

Internal combustion is a pretty crude way to power cars; I can't imagine it being around forever. Unless society collapses and renders technology moot, something better will come along and replace it. That "something better" may very well burn or catalyze synthetic fuel, but I'm willing to bet it won't be ICEs as we now have, not in the long term.

Tom

 

I'm not sure your analysis hits what actually happened in November. I find it difficult to believe that the same individual could vote to limit taxes by requiring a 2/3 vote for example and vote to reelect tax and spenders at the same time if those two choices were in fact the real choices faced by the voters. That's schizophrenic.

In any event, the government should never be given the power to tax by mile. It's a HUGE and unnecessary invasion of privacy and will be used to inhibit our freedom to move. Further, giving the government more money because they want it is like giving Michael Moore another box of Twinkies because he wants one.

 

Is your concern centered around the collection of tax money or logging miles?

The government already essentially taxes us by the mile by imposing fuel taxes. How far each of us can go for the same money varies, but in the end it is mileage coupled. Because we already have this situation, I assume your worry is about some sort of new law restricting freedom of movement. Such a law would be unconstitutional.

Tom

 

Concur....but I think it's going to take a while.
ICE's have advanced quite a long way since the 1900's.
My first car ('76 Firebird) had a 5.7 liter motor that generated a whopping 200 BHP at a cost of 15mpg, turned like a toad, and was about as safe as being drunk on Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras....

I think that, in the not-so-short short term, ICEs will be powering cars, and in the shorter term efficiency will continue to advance to the point where a 1.0 liter (or litre, if you drive on the wrong side of the road and spell things funny...) ICE will develop 200+ BHP and satisfactorily propel a car at 100+ MPG.
Electrics may eventually supplant (or complement) ICEs on our roads, but there are hurdles to overcome there as well.....and as far as environmental concerns go...I personally believe that that's just kicking the can down the road a little bit more, given our current electrical generating capacity and methods.

Re: Tax per gallon, or per mile?
I don't personally think that it's fair, since (as I've already said) we're already being taxed for the car, the roads, the fuel, etc...
We Norte Americanos take our freedom of the roads thing pretty seriously. It's in our DNA, and America is a pretty spread out place. Also...there are a lot of folks that drive crazy long distances to work every day.
AND... (as I've also said earlier) I don't think it really matters. There's no (serious) politician that will survive an attempt to tell Americans how many miles that they can drive in a given year.

(JMHO)

Edit:

That hasn't always stopped them before...

 

I agree with etc(ss) on several of his points. The ICE has really come a long way in just the past 3-5 years .... turbocharging and direct injection is making 4 cylinder engines as powerful as much larger engine of yesteryear, and much more efficient. The power from a tiny rotary is most impresive as well, and they continue to get improved efficiency and emissions from these engines.

Re taxes per gallon or mile? I suspect we will see both eventually. There is no limit to the "good" that politicians can do with our money .... Sen. Ried values "cowboy poetry" as a "good" and worthwhile expendature .... who could possibly oppose that necessity?

Constitutionality? A federal jusge has decreed Obamacare unconstitutional ... yet the administration presses on; and much of the the same can be said in Wisconsin where a judge issued a restraining order, and the state presses on. Our Judicial, Executive and Legislative systems are badly broken.

 

Then how did my state achieve these election results, unless a very large number of voters marked Initiatives but not candidates, and a similarly large number marked candidates but not Initiatives? We can cap the possible number of voters who did this by comparing individual results to total ballots cast. I don't remember seeing any sufficiently large gaps in the county by county results.

And your point is? ...

That privacy wall is already breached over here. My vehicle milages are already logged at every mandatory emissions check.