Tax, Tax, Tax.

I'm tired of earth, these people

 

All levels of government have put themselves in a position of needing to create new taxes to support the out of control programs, health care systems, pension systems, and a great many other entitlements they unleashed when times were (temporarily) robust. Most states have now put a damper on existing tax expansion. This is one of the major reasons for the surge of republican governors and republican state legislators...but the cost obligations still exists. So the next avenue is to develop "new things" to tax. This has little to do with one group trying to exploit another group. It has everything to do with slithering in another "category" of items that can be taxed more. The only additional need is a good cover story.....like Prius drivers not paying their fair share.

What's left that is not already taxed? Seriously, all present commerce, property, and income has been exploited. This leaves essentially new technology developments like internet transactions, alternative fuels, and hybrid cars.

 

California is now going after e commerce site like Amazon to collect sales tax. They also increased state income tax for those families making greater than 250,000 annual and a temporary sales tax increase for everyone.

In general and I'm not trying to offend anyone but Prius owners are not the high rollers of income and any tax increases may be difficult to absorb. Sure there are exceptions but in general if your buying a ECO box car you not rolling in the cash.

Perhaps the greatest difficulty politicians grapple with is to empathize with the taxes they pass and there impact on families.

I agree with Massparanoia that $64 won't break the bank for most, but there should be exclusions based on income. If your retired your exempt from the tax is an example, or if your a student or in the military

 

All of which are optional. There are much cheaper ways to be an "environmental steward" than buying a Prius. But if you want to own a Prius, you must pay the higher cost just like any owner of a $23-$30k car would.I thought people were buying a Prius because they wanted to change the world, not be crybabies about how much extra it cost for all that "cutting edge" technology.

Concerned with higher sale prices, titling taxes, and personal property taxes but want to be an "environmental steward"?


2012 Ruckus Specifications - Honda Powersports


$2500 bucks and 114 MPG, and at 49cc you don't even need to register it.

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Hey don't laugh but some gated retirement enclaves primary transportation in the community is get this electric golf carts.

 

A semantic analysis:
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Hahahaha that is probably the biggest load of BS I've read by you yet.

If you had actual numbers, metrics, then trot them out. But apparently, no metrics, no economics to counter the facts and data.

All those "poor, downstate" people being subsidized by the great rich north.

They are the ones who are getting a lower, Virginia gasoline tax by squeezing more out of the hybrid owners of Northern Virginia.

Tell me bob, how effective would a Prius be at hauling the hogs to slaughter, tobacco to the drying barns or maybe some peanuts to market.

We both know the number of people actually making a living in hog, chicken, beef, and turkey operations is very, very small and they have both commuting vehicles and livestock carriers:



. . . Oh, maybe you never knew these things existed . . .

Or maybe the minorities working in the shipyards or all the enlisted men and women in the Hampton roads, are they being subsidized by the great rich north too?

Where are your numbers? . . . Oh, you don't have any.

All of which are optional. There are much cheaper ways to be an "environmental steward" than buying a Prius.

Good because neither one of us cares but then we don't live in California. Fortunately, the Prius is not just for environmental quality but saves a boatload of money, year after year.

But if you want to own a Prius, you must pay the higher cost just like any owner of a $23-$30k car would.I thought people were buying a Prius because they wanted to change the world, not be crybabies about how much extra it cost for all that "cutting edge" technology.

The only cry baby is the Governor of Virginia who seems to think taxing Prius to subsidize the lower gasoline taxes will make a difference.

Concerned with higher sale prices, titling taxes, and personal property taxes but want to be an "environmental steward"?

Actually it raises the question of why you still own a Prius? For someone who claims to own a Prius, it sure sounds like you have no clue as to the 101 other reasons why one might own a Prius . . . truly amazing ignorance.

2012 Ruckus Specifications - Honda Powersports
$2500 bucks and 114 MPG, and at 49cc you don't even need to register it.

If that cranks your tractor, go for it.
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You're stuck with no facts or data showing the tax makes any sense except as a "whack a hippy" tax. It is not pro-rated by the mileage but specific to a single class of vehicle.

This "tax" gives a boost to diesels but they get stung buy higher fuel cost per gallon. This tax is a disaster for less efficient hybrids like the Fords who carry the label "hybrid" but not even close to Prius mileage. As for GM's micro-hybrids . . . toast.

Frankly, this tax doesn't matter since it impacts Virginians and reveals the abysmal ignorance of their current government.

Bob Wilson

 

Pro-rate the tax by mileage, say EPA combined, and it would make sense but that is not what is happening. Properly done. the State could declare some optimum MPG and give a subsidy to cars that fall under that mileage . . . you know "fair." For example:

• 50 MPG - a high cost
• 25 MPG - the target
• 15 MPG - a subsidy paid for from those getting better than 25 MPG

Yea, let's be fair . . .

Bob Wilson

 

I guess you haven't been outside of the beltway much have you.

 

Facts and data are not your friends:

You absolutely have no idea of where "the beltway" is. It figures, you don't have any other facts and data:

Source: Demographics | Ag 101 | Agriculture | US EPA

Tomorrow, I'll walk into work from one end of the parking lot:

• ~20% 'urban cowboy' pickups
• ~20% SUVs and jeeps driven in by a single driver
• ~20% minivans driven in by a single driver
• ~40% sedans of variable efficiency including two other Prius

Farmer 'posers' might as well play 'dress up' for all they do with their pickups. Five days a week, a single driver, commuter car and otherwise, parked on the street in front of a ranch house on a small urban lot. Many don't even have a garden much less a clue about farming, ranching, or trying to go broke in agriculture.

Bob Wilson

 

A semantic analysis:

Fact: There is an additional $64 tax on hybrid vehicles in VA. The additional higher initial cost, higher property taxes (both as a result of said cost and living in the "great rich north") and registration fees are the cost of owning ANY vehicles in the state. Except the Ruckus.

nonsensical

We both know you don't know what you're talking about here, but cool pics though. I guess you didn't get the memo on large pics though...

I own a Prius and I am far from a "hippy". However I realize that if $64 is the fine line that makes or breaks hybrid ownership for me then I probably shouldn't own one.

Again if $64 is the make or break, then a boring slow hybrid is probably not the car for you.

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meh​

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Well bob, you're old and your eyes must be tired so I'll make this big and bold for you.

VDACS - Virginia Agriculture - Facts & Figures

I guess they should start calling it the great rich south. So closed minded and full of hate you are.

 

Sorry son,

The facts and data are still not your friends. The feed mills, equipment sellers, vets, and everyone else standing around the farmer are not farmers. They don't have pigs in their back yards or chicken coops. There is a huge ratio of posers to real farmers. A whole lot of agricultural 'ticks' sucking the blood of anyone foolish enough to try and make a living that way.

Real farmers have and use special equipment that automates as much as they can. The bright ones still have a commuting car to 'go for groceries and church' and that can be a Prius or any other car that meets that need. But trucks and cattle trailers are something different. . . . But then you're just a Prius poser.

The facts and data remain, Virginia is taxing hybrid at best to subsidize an abnormally low, gasoline tax. But as rural Virginia continues its long economic slide into oblivion, the Virginia state government continues to "whack a hippy" and ship more gasoline money out of state. They are robbing you and every other Virginia native by exporting money that should stay in-state and help Virginia's economy.

Bob Wilson

 

Oh ok. So the facts are only facts if you say they are and not the Virginia Department of Agriculture.

 

My vote for the most regressive state award goes to...

 

Facts and data from the USA Census are not your friends:

	Column 1	Column 2	Column 3	Column 4	Column 5	Column 6
0	[th]NAICS code description[th]Paid employees[th]percent
1	[tr][td] Total for all sectors [td2]3	029	030[td2]100.0%
2	[tr][td] Professional	scientific		technical Serv. [td2]420	887[td2]13.9%
3	[tr][td] Retail trade [td2]407	160[td2]13.4%
4	[tr][td] Health care	social assistance [td2]392	532[td2]13.0%
5	[tr][td] Accommodation	food Serv. [td2]310	070[td2]10.2%
6	[tr][td] Admin.	support	waste Mgt.	remediation Serv. [td2]240	249[td2]7.9%
7	[tr][td] Manufacturing [td2]230	162[td2]7.6%
8	[tr][td] Construction [td2]170	834[td2]5.6%
9	[tr][td] Other Serv. (except public Admin.) [td2]163	037[td2]5.4%
10	[tr][td] Finance	insurance [td2]148	964[td2]4.9%
11	[tr][td] Wholesale trade [td2]100	405[td2]3.3%
12	[tr][td] Information [td2]95	525[td2]3.2%
13	[tr][td] Transportation	warehousing [td2]91	005[td2]3.0%
14	[tr][td] Educational Serv. [td2]70	604[td2]2.3%
15	[tr][td] Mgt. of companies	enterprises [td2]56	522[td2]1.9%
16	[tr][td] Real estate	rental	leasing [td2]51	730[td2]1.7%
17	[tr][td] Arts	entertainment		recreation [td2]50	142[td2]1.7%
18	[tr][td] Utilities [td2]15	395[td2]0.5%
19	[tr][td] Mining	quarrying		oil	gas extraction [td2]9	814[td2]0.3%
20	[tr][td] Agriculture	forestry	fishing	hunting [td2]3	647[td2]0.1%

Source: USA Census for Virginia, through March 2011

Alabama has half the employment numbers of Virginia and twice as many "Agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting" jobs.

As I pointed out before, the "hybrid tax" is cultural not technical. It is not pro-rated by vehicle mileage but really just "whack a hippy" in a Prius. It is there to give the illusion of subsidizing a lower gasoline tax. Meanwhile, CAFE is leading new Virginia vehicles into high mileage values and even lower gasoline tax revenues.

I'm sorry for you but eventually you'll discover Prius drivers are not welcome in some political groups. They'll see your Prius as evidence of a 'hippy spy' and even if they don't tell you, you'll not be invited to other meetings. You might consider replacing it with a nice diesel or a pickup truck.

Bob Wilson

 

Sounds like another "American Legislative Exchange Council" (ALEC) action. When multiple States across the nation all see the same legislation, a safe bet is ALEC is behind it.

Bob Wilson

 

ALEC = "worst practices" approach to representative legislation

 

Next thing is a tax on bicycle use. Now there's a fuel efficient mode of transportation.
Road contact patch very small so the weight PSI on the road surface is really high. If our tax system was cleaned up where you pay the bumbling fools in Washington (IRS) a set tax on ones income of say 10% then all the roads could be maintained IMO. Oh yea the perks of government (Senators, representatives, President etc.) like retirement voting for there own raises, be a convicted felon and still get benefits, be in office for less than one year and receive benefits, have your families vacation paid for by us the grunts.
Sorry I got off topic but this gas tax on fuel efficient vehicles is not right. If you live in say Vancouver Wa and work in Portland Oregon and do 90% of your shopping and driving in Oregon, who gets your gas tax? Wa or Oregon. Should be Oregon as that's where you drive but you pay this BS tax in Wa. Sounds like Oregon is getting short changed.

 

It's not how much of the gasoline tax goes into roads it is how much of the roads are paid for by gasoline tax. The many bond issues, the legislation appropriations for this highway project or that, the amount of government budgets for road maintenance and repair. The tolls on many roads and bridges.

The idea of taxing hybrids and EV's because they use less oil and "don't pay their fair share" is completely bogus because EVERYONE, even those who don't drive at all, pays to build and maintain roads and bridges etc.

It is bogus because the number one issue in the US from economic, environmental and national security importance is to cut US oil use by 50% which can only be achieved if MORE people drive EV's and hybrids.

As for what is the cost of gasoline use, fairly easy to calculate add up the $14T in current debt from unfunded oil wars over last 30 years, add the yearly costs of $400B oil trade deficit, add the yearly cost of $500B of US military spending of $1T, add in the $500B environmental costs of global warming, water and air pollution. You'll come up with $20 gallon then ADD in road costs, ADD in mass transit costs, ADD in tax credits for hybrids and EV's the solution to the US oil problem.