Looking to replace the gas tax..Oregon proposes

[Guest MarvinisaLunatic]

Full Story on Wired.com

Excerpt/brief Summary

The Oregon Department of Transportation is evaluating a scheme that uses the global positioning system to keep track of the distance every car travels in order to impose a road-use tax...

 

His group is considering two approaches. The first uses a GPS device in the car to determine where the vehicle goes, then calculates how many miles the vehicle covered. The second uses an electronic odometer system that logs the actual distance traveled.

 

In both cases, the boxes record and store the mileage figures. When a driver needs to fill up the tank, a built-in radio transmitter will zap the data to a reader alongside the pump, and the mileage charge will be added to the gasoline bill...

 

Although the task force plans to test both the odometer device and the GPS-based system, Whitty said the GPS approach has the inside track. In part, this is because pure odometer readings can't guarantee that all the miles traveled are within Oregon, although Kim said RF beacons at the borders could toggle the boxes on and off as vehicles cross the state line...

 

We're also looking at variable pricing and congestion pricing," he said, "and we could even do different time-of-day rates." For example, the state could make it more expensive to drive downtown during rush hour than it would be to cover the same ground during a midnight munchie run when the streets are deserted.

 

I think this is insane. On the 2nd page the article goes over all of the privacy issues. But even if you over look the fact that the government would be able to track every person who drives, where they drive and so on, the fact remains that you will be paying for the privlegde to drive on roads. Essentially many people already do that through the gas tax, however I think its just rediculous to put a tax on usuing roads outright, even if the tax on gas is removed. If this goes through and possibly makes it to other states (like I figure it will since states are so tax dollar deprived right now), I might invest $300 and buy a bike. It would be healthier for me, the environment, my wallet and between a road use tax and the gas prices, probably way cheaper in the long run. Of course, I bet you won't be able to even walk around anywhere anymore without paying a tax (they'll probably put these things in your shoes to track where you walk and make you pay a land use tax or something equally as rediculous), much less ride a bike since the states would soon discover this form of "Tax evasion" and make it illegal without a transmitter..

[Guest Hogan Made Wrestling]

Do government officials spontaneously ejaculate to the sound of the word "tax" or what?

[Guest kkktookmybabyaway]

Seeing how I don't live in Oregon, I would LOVE to see them try and get this scheme to work. It would be a riot, especially when they ask the feds to bail them out.

 

I just read the full article and found this nugget: However, the tax rate hasn't changed since 1991, and the more fuel-efficient cars on the highways are sucking down far less fuel. The result, according to Whitty, is that tax income hasn't been able to keep pace with inflation, or with the need for additional road repairs due to increased traffic.

 

So more fuel-efficent cars are making state budgets suffer? A SUV in every garage I say...

Edited June 4, 2003 by kkktookmybabyaway

[Guest DrTom]

Bah. Governments should not keep tabs on where people drive. Making highways into turnpikes would be an answer, as would assessing a fee whenever someone obtains or renews their driver's license or vehicle registration (then you're only taxing folks who use the roads). But a privacy violation like using GPS to keep track of where someone drives should not be tolerated by the voters.

[Guest kkktookmybabyaway]

Ten bucks says that if this ever gets done the state still won't get rid of the gas tax -- instead it would be used for "the children"...