Bend Over

Z45 · February 20, 2009

rear this crap

newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-lahood-vehicle-mileage-tax,0,586876.story
Newsday.com

AP Interview: Transportation secretary says taxing how much we drive may replace gasoline tax

By JOAN LOWY

Associated Press Writer

12:54 PM EST, February 20, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says he wants to consider taxing motorists based on how many miles they drive rather than how much gasoline they burn — an idea that has angered drivers in some states where it has been proposed.

Gasoline taxes that for nearly half a century have paid for the federal share of highway and bridge construction can no longer be counted on to raise enough money to keep the nation's transportation system moving, LaHood said in an interview with The Associated Press.

"We should look at the vehicular miles program where people are actually clocked on the number of miles that they traveled," the former Illinois Republican lawmaker said.

Most transportation experts see a vehicle miles traveled tax as a long-term solution, but Congress is being urged to move in that direction now by funding pilot projects.

The idea also is gaining ground in several states. Governors in Idaho and Rhode Island are talking about such programs, and a North Carolina panel suggested in December the state start charging motorists a quarter-cent for every mile as a substitute for the gas tax.

A tentative plan in Massachusetts to use GPS chips in vehicles to charge motorists by the mile has drawn complaints from drivers who say it's an Orwellian intrusion by government into the lives of citizens. Other motorists say it eliminates an incentive to drive more fuel-efficient cars since gas guzzlers will be taxed at the same rate as fuel sippers.

Besides a VMT tax, more tolls for highways and bridges and more government partnerships with business to finance transportation projects are other funding options, LaHood, one of two Republicans in President Barack Obama's Cabinet, said in the interview Thursday.

"What I see this administration doing is this — thinking outside the box on how we fund our infrastructure in America," he said.

LaHood said he firmly opposes raising the federal gasoline tax in the current recession.

The program that funds the federal share of highway projects is part of a surface transportation law that expires Sept. 30. Last fall, Congress made an emergency infusion of $8 billion to make up for a shortfall between gas tax revenues and the amount of money promised to states for their projects. The gap between money raised by the gas tax and the cost of maintaining the nation's highway system and expanding it to accommodate population growth is forecast to continue to widen.

Among the reasons for the gap is a switch to more fuel-efficient cars and a decrease in driving that many transportation experts believe is related to the economic downturn. Electric cars and alternative-fuel vehicles that don't use gasoline are expected to start penetrating the market in greater numbers.

"One of the things I think everyone agrees with around reauthorization of the highway bill is that the highway trust fund is an antiquated system for funding our highways," LaHood said. "It did work to build the interstate system and it was very effective, there's no question about that. But the big question now is, We're into the 21st century and how are we going to take care of our infrastructure needs ... with a highway trust fund that had to be plussed up by $8 billion by Congress last year?"

A blue-ribbon national transportation commission is expected to release a report next week recommending a VMT.

The system would require all cars and trucks be equipped with global satellite positioning technology, a transponder, a clock and other equipment to record how many miles a vehicle was driven, whether it was driven on highways or secondary roads, and even whether it was driven during peak traffic periods or off-peak hours.

The device would tally how much tax motorists owed depending upon their road use. Motorists would pay the amount owed when it was downloaded, probably at gas stations at first, but an alternative eventually would be needed.

Rob Atkinson, chairman of the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission, the agency that is developing future transportation funding options, said moving to a national VMT would take about a decade.

Privacy concerns are based more on perception than any actual risk, Atkinson said. The satellite information would be beamed one way to the car and driving information would be contained within the device on the car, with the amount of the tax due the only information that's downloaded, he said.

The devices also could be programmed to charge higher rates to vehicles that are heavier, like trucks that put more stress on roadways, Atkinson said.

Draenor · February 20, 2009

Um..I'm sorry NO. Like hell someone is gonna put a GPS system on my vehicles.

How would this work on farm vehicles since I'm not always on the road?

asilverblazer · February 20, 2009

What about retrofits too. I don't think a module can be added to my '55.

Z71kris · February 20, 2009

I read that Obama canned this as soon as got him..just what I read.... Either way stupid!!

C. Charles Hahn · February 20, 2009

What about retrofits too. I don't think a module can be added to my '55.

If you can sit one of those Garmin units on your '55s dash, they can put a GPS module into it or any other vehicle.

However I think the logistics of implementing such a program would prove WAY too difficult for it to ever actually happen. They can't possibly take into account how much you're driving on private property or closed courses (think street/strip race cars, etc.), or control how you're reporting your mileage. GPS units would be too expensive to install and they couldn't ensure that EVERY vehicle gets one installed on it that does not/will not malfunction and cannot be modified/hacked to cheat the reported mileage.

Nope, just not feasible when you start to look at the required supporting infrastructure and analyze the implementation costs. I could however see them increasing the number of roads set up as toll roads (who knows, maybe someday the ENTIRE highway and interstate system will be considered toll roads... I hope not but can see it happening). It would be far easier to implement since many states already use an EZ-Pass type system on their roads.

alutz11 · February 21, 2009

I want to ride my bicycle

I want to ride my bike

I want to ride my bicycle

I want to ride it where I like

Zembonez · February 21, 2009

With the porkulus plan passed... they now have to find a way to stick us in the ass for more taxes.

The thread title says it all.

That's all. I've been banned enough this week.

tobias · February 21, 2009

Two things:

1. Jim, stop posting in these threads, please.

2.

Zembonez · February 21, 2009

mattgob86 · February 21, 2009

Man i think that some of these politicians should think about things before they just waste everyones time one thinking about such a dumbass thing that would be totally oppossed by many drivers and so easily jacked with if a gps was installed and such a huge infrastructure that would need to be in place. they spend billions on a huge laundry list of stuff that they all wanted to do for the last 8 years and change gun laws, ammo laws, etc...... alright ill quit dont want a vacation too badly.

MarkD · February 21, 2009

Title says it all!

mr_bots · February 21, 2009

This sounds like a great idea...

Zembonez · February 21, 2009

Any of us who own an OnStar equipped vehicle already have the GPS locater installed. It wouldn't take too much for them to be tracked. This is a common feature on many (GM and other) vehicles these days in the interest of "safety". (yeah right)

You don't think somebody in Washington has another use for these systems do you?

unit731 · February 21, 2009

Um..I'm sorry NO. Like hell someone is gonna put a GPS system on my vehicles.

How would this work on farm vehicles since I'm not always on the road?

Not to be too distracted. But FCC states that there is a GPS in your cell phone. Unless you don't have a cell phone.

LINK

tobias · February 21, 2009

Any of us who own an OnStar equipped vehicle already have the GPS locater installed. It wouldn't take too much for them to be tracked. This is a common feature on many (GM and other) vehicles these days in the interest of "safety". (yeah right)

You don't think somebody in Washington has another use for these systems do you?