Oregon prepares nation's first per-mile road tax

[mpholland]

Looks like Oregonians are leading the way again. While I really don't like the idea of paying more taxes, at least this will be an equitable way to share the costs with the new, more fuel efficient vehicles. I also think that as a general rule, larger, heavier, less efficient vehicles do more damage to the roads than lighter vehicles, so I think that per gallon taxes are still viable in that aspect. Would be nice to see them incorporate some sort of fee for people who use studs and bicyclists also. I understand bicycles don't do much harm to the roads, but they still use them, and there are costs involved in creating and maintaining bike lanes.

http://www.autonews.com/article/2015...-mile-road-tax

[Tom Joad]

Originally Posted by mpholland

Looks like Oregonians are leading the way again. While I really don't like the idea of paying more taxes, at least this will be an equitable way to share the costs with the new, more fuel efficient vehicles. I also think that as a general rule, larger, heavier, less efficient vehicles do more damage to the roads than lighter vehicles, so I think that per gallon taxes are still viable in that aspect. Would be nice to see them incorporate some sort of fee for people who use studs and bicyclists also. I understand bicycles don't do much harm to the roads, but they still use them, and there are costs involved in creating and maintaining bike lanes.

http://www.autonews.com/article/2015...-mile-road-tax

I don't like it.

It's punishing people for driving smaller more fuel efficient vehicles.

That's ass backwards of what we need to be doing IMO.

[Rajoo]

Originally Posted by Tom Joad

I don't like it.

It's punishing people for driving smaller more fuel efficient vehicles.

That's ass backwards of what we need to be doing IMO.

“Fuel efficiency is getting better and better, which is great,” said Michelle Godfrey, an Oregon Department of Transportation spokeswoman. But “when your road maintenance is funded by fuel sales, that spells trouble.”

As an ex-part time resident of Oregon for the past 15 years or so (till 2014), what is the state supposed to do? Area wise it is a fairly large state with a total population of less than 4 million. The roads are very well maintained despite the fact that the state is fairly mountainous.

As to Marc's point of studded tires, each spring the road surface gets beat up by studded tires and needs to be resurfaced. I think it is a great idea for drivers to pay a use tax that is fair to everyone.

Also note that they do not have sales tax, state income tax is just about the same as CA, so their sources for tax revenue is fairly limited. In a lot of ways it is a very progressive state.

[merrylander]

We had the same complaint here in Maryland but dammit if y'all want roads someone must pay for them. Gas tax or mileage tax would be fair for me. I went to the dentist yesterday and had to use the booster cables from Florence's Impala to mine. Stopped to think about it and my car has sat on the garage since December. Even though I had eye appointments and would go shopping with her sometimes it was in her Impala.

[Tom Joad]

Originally Posted by BeamOn

As an ex-part time resident of Oregon for the past 15 years or so (till 2014), what is the state supposed to do?

Raise the gas tax per gallon.

That will put more of the burden on the owners of these big gas guzzlers as it should be.

The gas tax in the US goes nowhere near funding all the infrastructure and negative impacts of driving. We need to be more like Europe in that regard.

Then people would get by with smaller vehicles and we could fund more mass transit.

In reality we should probably be paying what they are. About six bucks a gallon. Yeah, it would hurt, but we could phase it in gradually and get used to it. We'd be better off in the long run.

But for Christ sake why should someone driving a Prius pay the same amount of tax per mile driven as someone with a 4X4 Dodge Ram with a 5.7 Litre V-8 Hemi?

[merrylander]

^^^Don't forget diesel fuel those big rigs do more damage than a Prius ever will (quite apart from being butt ugly and hard on the eyes), We subsidize trucking and airlines and let freight rail suck eggs.

[Boreas]

I'm opposed to anything that disincentivizes fuel efficient and zero emission vehicles. Yes, there's a problem but this is the wrong solution.

John

[mpholland]

I think I would rather just pay a higher per gallon tax. Unfortunately that subsidizes electric vehicles.

[Tom Joad]

Originally Posted by mpholland

I think I would rather just pay a higher per gallon tax. Unfortunately that subsidizes electric vehicles.

What electric vehicles?

We could use some incentives to encourage their use.

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by mpholland

I think I would rather just pay a higher per gallon tax. Unfortunately that subsidizes electric vehicles.

Yes, it does. I think that making high fuel efficiency and zero emission vehicles financially attractive as well as environmentally responsible is worthwhile. I also recognize that any sort of direct or indirect subsidy is ultimately borne by the taxpayer.

That being said, there's something pretty unappealing about a system that "penalizes" the drivers of gasoline powered vehicles, even high efficiency ones and hybrids, in the service of promoting zero emission vehicles. Folks will almost certainly resent it and feel that they're being "forced" into buying electric cars.

John