Ok, I rarely post to this list, but this is absolutely stupid. You mean
to tell me, you want to tax my 40+ mpg, sub 2000# Honda Civic the same
PER MILE as my neighbor's wife's 8000#, 12mpg, status-symbol-on-wheels,
i'm-dead-if-she-hits-me Hummer H2? Are you kidding me? Show me one
example where the Hummer doesn't pollute our environment, erode our
streets, or cause general social disdain at least 3x more than the
Civic.
I hope there's a sliding scale built in there that we haven't heard
about. Without it, all this law does is lower the tax for low mpg
vehicles and raise it for high mpg vehicles relative to the current
law. Of course it does run consistent with our current trend of
promoting American glutony with total disregard for anyone or anything
else.
I see nothing wrong with taxing gas. If the fuel efficient cars are
reducing tax revenue, just up the tax. If you're using more of it to
get from point A to point B, you're probably driving a heavier, less
efficient vehicle. It probably causes more road deterioration than a
lighter vehicle. You should pay more.
Go Governator :P
RandyN
-----------------------------
> November 16, 2004
>
> DMV Chief Backs Tax by Mile
> New appointee has advocated a levy based on how much and where
> motorists
> drive. Idea is gaining support, but privacy advocates worry.
>
> By Robert Salladay, Times Staff Writer
>
> SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday appointed a new
> Department of Motor Vehicles director who has advocated taxing
> motorists for every mile they drive - by placing tracking devices
> in
> their cars.
>
> The idea would mean a significant overhaul of how California
> collects
> taxes to maintain its often-crumbling roads. Under the plan, the
> state
> gas tax - now 18 cents a gallon - would be replaced with a tax on
> every
> mile traveled by each car and truck.
>
> The notion has not been endorsed by Schwarzenegger but is gaining
> acceptance among transportation and budget experts. As
> Californians
> drive increasingly more fuel-efficient cars, state officials are
> alarmed that the gasoline tax will not raise enough money to keep
> up
> with road needs.
>
> [...]
>
> Privacy advocates worry about the government tracking the
> whereabouts of
> every car in California. In one scenario - currently being tested
> in
> Oregon - tracking devices send a signal to a GPS satellite
> following the
> car, and that information would be used to calculate the tax
> bill. Other
> devices send a signal directly from the car to the pump, which
> calculates the tax based on the odometer reading.
>
> [...]
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