Road use tax based on mileage from onboard computer

[guzzijohn]

Currently in Kansas the state in investigating the use of on board computers to record your mileage. You would then pay road taxes according to how much you drive not from gas taxes. I have applied and I am waiting to see if I will be accepted to participate in a study for this idea using my car. I have three reasons for participating. First you get paid over $900 to participate. Second I drive an average about 100 miles a day with my job and I am concerned how much I may be paying if this is enacted. Third I want the opportunity to give input which participating would give me.
There has been no mention as of yet if there would be different tax rates depending upon the vehicle. As I understand it for this to work all vehicles would have to be fitted with a computer gizmo. How would this work with my 33 year old Moto Guzzi cycle for example? I see many possible problems like out if state vehicles using the roads, will semis be taxed more per mile than motorcycles, etc. Smells a bit of Big Brother.
GuzziJohn

[45-70.gov]

in  my  opinion  the  road  ways  are one  of the few  things  the government  got  right

it  is there  for  all

rich  or  poor
working  or wreckreation
an  open highway  gives   you  a feeling  of  freedom  more  so  than  a fine  handgun

looks  like  big  brother  thinks  it  put  bad  ideas  in  our  head
and  are  fixxin  to   mess  up  something  that was  done right a few generations  ago

WE  DO NOT LIVE IN  THE SAME  COUNTRY ANY MORE


take their  money  no one  will  hold it against  you  here

we  need  a 5th  column in  there  anyway

[Questor]

These are under consideration many states. The taxes are in addition to already high gas taxes. Gas taxes ARE a user fee. The more you use, the more you pay.

This kind of taxation is in response to people driving more fuel efficient cars. They don't want tax revenue to drop because people are using less gas.

[Dixie Dude]

Yes, as gasoline is used less and less, the states have less money to resurface roads and make repairs.  So, the mileage idea.  For instance, if you had an electric vehicle, you would pay no gasoline tax, but you still use the road.  You may pay an additional tax yearly for alternative fuels, but you may drive 100,000 miles a year with this vehicle.  Toll roads are another way, but slow down traffic, and sometimes people avoid toll roads.  I could see reporting your mileage yearly on your income tax or when you renew your license plates, and pay it then by mileage instead of per gallon, especially with hybrids, electrics, bio-diesel, etc taking to the roads. 

[Hooker]

pay it then by mileage instead of per gallon,  

If you think that they will do away with the per gallon tax and just charge a mileage tax, I'll bet you still believe in the Easter Bunny.

Pat

[Dixie Dude]

No, they never recend a tax.  But as less gasoline and/or diesel is used due to hybrids, or better fuel efficiency, they do have to have some type of tax to maintain the highways, so the per mile tax.  If you get 15 miles per gallon, and drive 15,000 miles a year, that is 1,000 gallons of fuel a year.  Rounding the taxes to $1 per gallon for Fed, State, and local tax, that is $1,000 a year tax.  So that would mean taxing you about $0.06 per mile for the same amount of tax.  That would be $75 per month tax.  However if they took the tax per gallon off, gas would be about $1.50 gallon.  The only way I see that they could collect this is to have the mileage recorded every time you got gas at the station, and pay the per mile tax when you buy gas base on the miles driven since the last fillup.  If you had an all electric car, they could bill you based on the past average monthly usage.

[rockbilly]

I recently drove through Kansas; I found the roads very good and must say they appear to be doing a good job there. But that’s another story.

On this trip I observed roads in other states that were in a sad state of repair, checking further into this I found that many bridges through out the US are in dire need of work, a case in point is the I-35 Bridge in Minnesota that collapsed a while back.  Not only are the roads in a sad state, the infrastructure of most everything in this country is in sad shape.  Many large dams, up stream from large communities are in need of work and a potential disaster waiting to happen, Hoover dam is a good example.  We have buildings all over the country that are barely standing, city streets are deteriorating with no attention being paid to upkeep. Look into the status of the roads and bridges in your area and I’m sure you will agree.

Yes, while America sleeps our country caves in around us, but we still find billions of dollars to give to some raghead to rebuild their country.

[Dixie Dude]

I do know that a few years ago, the Federal highway tax (which is supposed to be earmarked for highway maintenance) had an excess, so it was used in the general fund.  If the fuel tax was only used for the highways the last 20 years, we wouldn't have the infrastructure problem.  Congress borrowed from this like they did Social Security. 

[Questor]

Rockbilly:

That's because the politicians keep spending money on new stuff and don't maintain existing things. It's extremely irresponsibile and they should be held accountable for it. In your example of the I35 bridge collapse, they kept spending money on new parks and community centers while not spending money on maintenance.

That's also why so many government buildings you might go to are run down and dirty.

[Oldshooter]

pay it then by mileage instead of per gallon,  

If you think that they will do away with the per gallon tax and just charge a mileage tax, I'll bet you still believe in the Easter Bunny.

Pat

and the tooth fairy, and Santa, and the check is in the mail!

[Hooker]

No, they never recend a tax.  But as less gasoline and/or diesel is used due to hybrids, or better fuel efficiency, they do have to have some type of tax to maintain the highways, so the per mile tax. 

This is the BS they tell us but it does not add up. Every year there are many new drivers on the road increasing the tax base by a very healthy sum. And there are not that many hybrids on the road and I doubt there ever will be they are some of the sorriest junk ever built. Open your eyes and look around there are still a lot of SUVs and pickups. This mileage tax is a government scam to increase taxes.
They waste every tax dollar they extort from us and I can not believe that intelligent folks would think letting them steal more money from us is a good idea.

Pat