JayB Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 If the legislature is ever misguided enough to attempt to pass it into law. Soak the Green Oregon mulls a new tax that environmentalists and privacy advocates will hate. BY BRENDAN MINITER Tuesday, May 10, 2005 12:01 a.m. EDT As gas prices continue to top $2 a gallon, all those drivers of fuel-efficient cars may not have reason to gloat for much longer. Oregon is worried that too many Honda Insights and Toyota Priuses hitting the roads will rob it of the cash it expects out of its 24-cent-a-gallon tax. So the Beaver State is studying ways to ensure that "hybrid" car owners pay their "fair share" of taxes for the miles they drive. That means allowing the taxman to catch up to hybrid owners just as often as he catches up to gas guzzling SUV drivers. And if Oregon goes ahead, it won't be long before other states follow. Oregon won't complete its study until 2007. But it's already clear the state is looking to influence behavior in addition to raising revenue by implementing a "vehicle mileage tax." Under a VMT a motorist would pay a tax for each mile driven, probably around 1.25 cents. To administer this tax, a global positioning system would be mounted in each car. As a driver fuels up, the device would relay mileage information to the gas pump, which would calculate the VMT. A simple electronic odometer-reading device would do the trick, but Oregon is looking at GPS devices because they would also allow for charging higher VMT rates for miles driven in "congested" areas during rush hour or to exempt miles driven out of state.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archenemy Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 This is ridiculous. I would expect privacy advocates to get into this arguement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunglehead Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 Ooh! Ooh! Pick me! I want the state to track me at all times! The Oregon legislature has way too much time on their hands. Other bills under consideration: Emergency bills to mandate martial arts for all K-12 schools. Banning Foie Gras. And I'm sure there are others. But this one kind of takes the prize for sheer idiocy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iain Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 A pretty un-Oregon thing to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayB Posted May 10, 2005 Author Share Posted May 10, 2005 The adoption or rejection of this law? You guys still accept paying for the privilege of having someone pump your gas and buy the notion that it leads to a net increase in jobs in the state so... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camilo Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 If I remember right, this was already happening with an additional registration fee when the hybrids first came out a few years ago. The reasoning was the same: People with fuel efficient cars don't pay as much in gas tax. The problem with this argument is that a smaller car causes much less wear and tear on roads as a light truck. I think there should be an additional part to this fee: Increase the $/mile tax depending on gross vehicle weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iain Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 The adoption (is there actually a bill in committee or is this just some "study"?). Jobs or no, I'm sick of getting out of my car, unlocking the gas cap, getting back into the car, and waiting for some guy to pump the gas. I'm no economist but that's just stupid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archenemy Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 Yes, as many additional fees as we can think of would be great. Fees, fees for everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iain Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 At face value, I think every effort should be made to get people in those cars. Any obstruction to this is insanity! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunglehead Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 Agreed. And there should be a "Fucking Idiot" penalty for fucking idiots that drive around in the winter with studded tires in the valley. Fucking learn how to use chains you fucking idiots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archenemy Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 And a fee for driving slow in the left lane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 The hybrids may be getting a deal on gas taxes, but it'd just be simpler to introduce a battery tax... 7 years down the road and they have to pay $7000 plus a $500 battery tax to get the battery replaced on the Prius, it won't look like such a good deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archenemy Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 genius. madness. genius. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunglehead Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 (edited) And a fee for driving slow in the left lane. FUCK I HATE THAT. Edited May 10, 2005 by bunglehead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 Why stop at a mileage tax? A vehicle loaded with a family of five, obese lard sucking flab sacks is going to weigh a lot more than a small car with one emaciated vegetarian, possibly as much as 1,500 lbs. more based on body weight alone. The only equitable tax solution is a toll based on the weight of the passengers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archenemy Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 discounts for higher IQs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stavrogin Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 why not just have regualar toll stops with scales, then you can pay for milage and weight, without all that fancy gps stuff... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archenemy Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 Why not just turn all roads into parking lots and have people put money in a metal box every couple of hours? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 Why not just process the populace of the state of Oregon into Soylent Green and then sell the state to Rajneesh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archenemy Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 What would the sales tax on that be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stavrogin Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 there's no sales tax in oregon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olyclimber Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 Pachouli oil tax ought to raise enough money for Orygun to pave the whole state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunglehead Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 Why not just process the populace of the state of Oregon into Soylent Green and then sell the state to Rajneesh. Although this in theory sounds like an amenable situation for all of humanity, I'm afraid the resultant pabulum would have little in the way of nutritional value. On the other hand, it would most likely have the scent of pine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sk Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 Pachouli oil tax ought to raise enough money for Orygun to pave the whole state. now yer talkin' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archenemy Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 Good, another place we can add a new tax! Wait, we can just call it a sales fee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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