Experimental 'pay per mile' tax program harms future car development
by Joel Arellano on Jul 30th 2006 at 5:16PM 
Remember the Oregon state program where volunteer drivers are taxed on the number of miles they drive daily? The monies gathered would be used for road construction and repair.
An editorial in the Toledo Blade blasts the program. It points out that such a program, if it were made into law, would discourage consumers from considering fuel-efficient vehicles. Auto makers would then have no incentive to develop such vehicles, either, refocusing to on higher horsepower engines or larger and heavier vehicles like SUV. The editorial points out the latter have a greater impact on road deterioration than lighter cars with "axle-mile taxes" on truckers applied in several states to maintain their highways.
The issue's a tough one. Comments are open for your thoughts on the matter.
[Source: Toledo Blade]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
phez 6:33PM (7/30/2006)
I don't quite understand how this specifically affects hybrids and other green vehicles. The author terms 'heavier cars' are the primary reason for road destruction, but there's still a fair share of heavy sedans, not to mention upcoming green SUVs and crossovers. The tax is being posed onto everyone anyways, so everyone will end up paying the same; the cost savings won't be any different than before the tax is introduced (relatively).
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Noah 6:50PM (7/30/2006)
Is there ever going to be a stopping point with the "tax everything in sight" mentallity? The taxes we pay now are going to too many "pet projects" and unnecessary items. Here's an idea! Try running the government's(all government)budgets like a real business instead of a slush fund for politicians. Our pay insn't increasing at even a fourth the rate that prices and taxes are so it won't be long before middle class becomes extinct and there's just the poor and the rich left.
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jerry 6:58PM (7/30/2006)
the author is incorrect in his assumption that "heavier cars" are the cause of road surface degradation, the primary culprits are class 8 trucks, and as far as this tax by miles driven...oh please! you already are taxed per mile driven..find the amount of tax on motor fuel in your area, divide by the mileage your transportation device gets, theres your tax per mile, unless this is a penalty for operating a high mileage vehilce...?
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James 7:54AM (7/31/2006)
This tax isn't about road repair, hybrids, or weight. It's a "behavior modification tax" aimed at getting people off the roads, making them think about their tax hike before pulling out of the drive.
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joe 9:53AM (7/31/2006)
I don't understand why every local authority has to redesign the wheel every time they want to change driver habbits. Why not learn from people who have already done it? I'm in Sweden right now where gas costs 12 Kronor/litre or $8 a gallon, 3/4 of which is tax. The road system is impeccable and guess how many traffic jams I've seen? There is no such this as traffic congestion even on a busy holiday weekend. People are very carefull in the way they plan trips and activities in the car.
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MikeW 10:34AM (7/31/2006)
What if you don't drive on pavement?
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joe 12:15PM (7/31/2006)
"What if you don't drive on pavement?"
GET A LIFE
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jiltedcitizen 2:34PM (7/31/2006)
Ah but Sweden is how small compared to the spread out US?
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Schneegz 4:20PM (7/31/2006)
The tax would be fair if it also took into concideration vehicle weight. In other words, a lighter vehicle (motorcycle, 2-passenger sports car) would be taxed fewer dollars per mile than a heavier vehicle (pickup truck, minivan).
That would make sense because heavier vehicles cause more road damage than lighter vehicles. However, I didn't see any mention of scaling the tax according to weight (correct me if I'm wrong). In that case, it probably is simply a behavior modification tax along the line of other "sin taxes".
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Mark 9:01AM (8/01/2006)
My fews are that they want people to stop driving if they make this law so that they use public transport and the reason they want you to use public transport is because they would make more money and i mean a hell of a lot more money than car owners. think about it.
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