California proposes milage tax

Thursday, November 18th, 2004

Mileage tax proposed for state’s drivers

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s government-reform commission has come up with a solution: Tax motorists based on the miles they drive, not the amount of gas they consume.

Three hundred drivers will be monitored for six months next year in the Eugene area in the pilot project. The U.S. Department of Transportation, Utah, New York and now California are closely watching for the results.

The proposal here raises a number of concerns: One is that it could discourage drivers from buying fuel-efficient cars. Another is that it could open the door to state surveillance of motorists.

The problem, as the state sees it, is that fuel-efficient cars, especially hybrids, cause just as much wear on the roads as larger cars and SUVs, but because they use much less gas they pay a smaller amount in CA road tax.

What they propose is to require a GPS unit in all new cars that will beam your mileage info to Ahnold’s mothership every time you buy gas. The tax you pay per fill-up will be based not on the amount of gas you buy, but on how many miles you’ve driven since your last check-in. The fact that your every move can also be tracked and recorded is just icing on the cake.

So the year before this law goes into effect is the last model year car I’ll buy, at least in CA. Too bad OR is talking about it too, or else I could drive up there for my future new car purchases. So maybe NV then, which would give me an excuse to go to Las Vegas as well. All this planning assumes that this will pass, which is actually highly unlikely. The potential for abuse is just too great.

Personally, I think they should increase the tax for SUVs only. They cause far more wear on the roads than normal cars and anything that would discourage people from buying them would also have the result of making the roads a little safer for everyone else.

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Comments

kscaldef
November 18, 2004

Aahh, what a bunch of crap. Road damage is quadratic or worse in the weight of the vehicle. Arnold just wants his Hummers.

bad_candy_ben
November 18, 2004

I’ve been hearing about this for a couple of days now. Seriously one of the worst ideas ever. Talk about big brother. What’s to stop them from sending you a ticket every time you exceed the posted speed limit? I find it hard to believe that in California with an 18 cent per gallon tax, we are short money for the roads, even with more fuel efficient cars. I’d like to see where all the money is going, I know the Govenator just pilfered 2 billion from the fund not to long ago, and Davis did the same before him. Lame.

ohmeohmy
November 18, 2004

fuck that shit. can you get all electric cars? ugh! hateful people.

also this:

“Hybrids are great. They use less fuel but take up exactly the same space on the road as a Hummer,” said Dan Beal, manager of public policy for the Costa Mesa-based Automobile Club of Southern California.

WHAT? WTF? that’s so not even close to true. why dont they just tax the fucking 18wheelers, thats what destroys the road.

i love how they’re discouraging progress and clean environments. awesome. police state on a dead planet ahoy.

penance_
November 18, 2004

that would be utter bullshit.

kchrist
November 18, 2004

What’s to stop them from sending you a ticket every time you exceed the posted speed limit?

It wouldn’t be the first time.

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