The Proposed Mileage Tax

Did I spell that correctly: "mileage"?

Anyways, Fortune's website has reported that several states are preparing to, at the very least, implement a prototype tax based on the number of miles you drive. This is to complement the gas tax as primary funding for transportation budgets.

The biggest reason to do so is to grab the people who are converting their cars to hybrid or fully electric cars. These vehicles either pay zero gas tax or very little because they infrequently gas up. Without that gas tax transportation budgets see (relatively) smaller funds for infrastructure like BRIDGE REPAIR. Yes, there are tolls and such but there are areas where tolls are a detractor.

For one example California does not toll many of its highways. If the state decided to toll I-80, Hwy-50, and I-8 then the relatively cheap trip along flat ground to Los Angeles, San Diego, Stockton, and San Francisco Bay become just as expensive as climbing over the Rocky Mountains to get to Portland and Seattle by burning more gas. As a counter example, New Jersey absolutely tolls its roads because for New York City and the rest of New England to access most of the country quickly they must pass through New Jersey. NJ is, geographically, the critical corridor for ground transport. The state government there would be insane not to toll their highways.

The second reason is to make sure that the burden of transportation maintenance is not sidestepped. For those who drive fully electric cars do not pay the gas tax, thus they do not help finance road maintenance. The catch is they STILL use the roads that they DON'T help pay for. To not acknowledge this change in society is to be blind to where we are trying to go.

And the article also states that the gas tax has not been raised in years. I blame lobbyists. Then again I blame lobbyists for nearly everything. But if the gas tax has not been raised then the funds we get for transportation dwindles relative to the number of vehicles on the road. With the dawn of electric cars entering the marketplace the need for a mileage tax becomes increasingly necessary.

Vote for a mileage tax if it comes up; you don't want more potholes in your highways.