Comments on: Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski (DEM) to pursue mileage tax

By: goodtimepolitics

goodtimepolitics — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 01:22:08 +0000

We shall see!

By: lukemcgook

lukemcgook — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 01:19:14 +0000

And, btw, I’m not advocating higher taxes. It’s just that “road pricing” seems preferable to a high, earmarked gas tax in that 1) it links your tax liability directly to how much you drive, and 2) it makes it easier for private firms to run the highway system, collecting fees in place of the state’s collecting taxes and generally running things better than the state does.

By: lukemcgook

lukemcgook — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 01:12:47 +0000

Oh, it might be something like a transponder in your car that you activate with a prepaid card. At 2 cents a mile, 20 bucks gets you 1000 miles of driving on state roads. That sort of thing. Harder on the poor? Yeah, but everything about operating a car is “regressive.” Insurance, gas, tires … all account for a higher fraction of household income when houshold income is lower. Probably the only tax that isn’t regressive is an income tax.

By: goodtimepolitics

goodtimepolitics — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 23:57:16 +0000

I don’t like the idea because of the privacy issue plus how will they know if I was driving on a highway or thu the woods, will the mileage stop when I cross over into another state, and how about the older cars! We already pay for a lic plate which is a tax, excise tax when we buy the car and safety inspection fee and a yearly tax per car. The mileage tax may start off at 1.2 cents, but the state will keep raising it!
Sounds like another tax on the poor to me!

By: lukemcgook

lukemcgook — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 23:34:56 +0000

In principle, “road pricing” along these lines is a good idea, but there seem to be a number of problems with this plan, including the privacy issue. Before too long, though, these problems will be solved with cheap technology (no one knows where you’re going when you buy a subway fare card), and we’ll be paying according to how much we drive instead of according to how much gas we use. Privatizing a lot of highway miles will also be easier. Be nice to get the state out of another line of business.