Gotta love this one. Politicians gone wild again. They push folks into driving hybrids, electrics, higher mileage gas models, etc. to save the environment for the little children. Folks ultimately do this, probably much more so in CA, so they use much less gas these days. Better for the environment and better for the consumer as a result – cool. That was the point after all, right?
Not really. Now the politicians now see the error of their ways – they just screwed themselves out of a lot of gas based revenue! So what do they do? Naturally, they come up with a plan to take your money anyway by going the mileage route versus a gas tax. Does not matter what you drive then, so they will still get their money regardless. See, it was never about the environment for the politicians in the first place. That’s just what they told folks in order to get their hands on citizen’s wallets. It always was and still is all about the money – your money, and they are absolutely addicted to it! There’s basically no way that they will be satisfied with any less of it – ever!
Of course, what do we expect when we have guys like Al Gore running around telling us how we should all be driving a Prius to save the planet while he flies around in his private jet and goes back home to his 40,000 sq ft house. :hammertime: :flamer:
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — With an increase in electric and hybrid vehicles along with better fuel-efficient vehicles, changing Bay Area drivers habit are posing a serious problem for state coffers.
As motorists use less and less gas, gas tax revenues to pay for state highways, roads and bridges shrink. Meanwhile, as gas prices fall, so does the sales tax generated by fuel sales. In California, among the taxes collected on fuel is a 2.25% sales tax on gasoline and a 9.67 percent tax on diesel.
Some state lawmakers feel a mileage tax is the best solution.
To pay for the shortfall, California officials are considering a plan that would replace California’s gas tax with a fee for each mile motorists drive. Drivers who log the most miles will end up paying the most, no matter how fuel efficient their car is.
In 2003, revenue reached $2.3 billion. In 2013, it was $2.62 billion. Governor Jerry Brown says there is a $59 million backlog on highway maintenance.
A 1.5 cent mileage tax is already being implemented in a test program in Oregon. Similar programs are under consideration in Colorado and Washington.
The plan has supporters and detractors across the political spectrum.
The current state gas has remained at 36 cents a gallon since 1994. The federal gas tax has been 18.4 cents a gallon for more than 20 years.
We should also be asking how they plan to track said mileage? The new little GPS black boxes we keep hearing about these days? What could go wrong there, eh?
/End of Uruk’s rant… :biggrin