Not a particularly new idea, but looks like they are now floating this for actual legislation
The Obama administration has floated a transportation authorization bill that would require the study and implementation of a plan to tax automobile drivers based on how many miles they drive.
The plan is a part of the administration’s “Transportation Opportunities Act,” an undated draft of which was obtained this week by Transportation Weekly.
This follows a March Congressional Budget Office report that supported the idea of taxing drivers based on miles driven.
Among other things, CBO suggested that a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) tax could be tracked by installing electronic equipment on each car to determine how many miles were driven; payment could take place electronically at filling stations.
Democrats have never met a tax they didn’t like, no matter how damaging it is to the economy, not civil liberties. How much we drive each year is none of the governments damned business.
But, there is more. I’ve been sitting on a similar article for a few days that says
“This section [2217] amends existing law to include two new options that provide more flexibility to finance new construction or capacity, and manage congestion, through the imposition of tolls,” states the proposal’s official summary. “The first option focuses on metropolitan congestion reduction and permits state and local governments to impose tolls on existing interstate and non-interstate facilities for the purposes of improving or reducing congestion in metropolitan areas with populations over one million people. Under this option, tolls may be imposed on specific lanes, whole facilities, or a network of facilities within the metropolitan area.”
The plan would require that commuters be charged higher rates during peak morning and evening periods and that the revenue generated be used for capital improvement projects near the toll facility. A second “interstate system improvement” plan would allow tolling in smaller areas so long as the project included new capacity. Electronic transponders would be required for toll collection on the new lanes.
So, yet another way to screw the actual producers. It’s not bad enough that this administrations policies are assisting in the rise of fuel prices, which raises the price of most other things, including food: now they want more taxation, much of which would be passed on to the consumers.
There is something else here as well. From the same article:
While Americans are overwhelmingly screaming for the Feds to lower spending, here we have more spending for another office and more government workers.
These clowns simply do not understand anything.
This bad idea has is being tested in Oregon as I write this. They will tax us to death like many countries in Europistan.
This is a really BAD idea….
Don’t you think that he is trying everything in his power to destroy the US? This is nothing but an economy buster in the present environment. Certainly in those areas where mass transportation is an option, something should be done to encourage its use. But that is not an option for the majority of us. Also, I am seeing people who are making major decisions that sacriface their health just to save $65 over a 3 month period. I don’t think that our government is aware that a large number of the US are on the edge and not happy about it.
In other words too, tax people who work in the city but choose to live outside of it.
This will either cause people to
~change jobs to work locally,
~begin tele-commuting and decrease productivity
~pass the cost of tolls on as a benefit payment and thus on to purchasers and government contracts.
This is just another anti-car and anti-suburbian piece of “green” legislation.
They force us to drive less, thus reducing the revenue from gasoline purchases, then try to come up with more taxes to make up the difference (or increase revenue).
As long as we keep our boots on the throats of our legislator and elect true Constitutionalists, this will never get off the ground. (I hope)