Obama Floats Plan To Tax Cars By The Mile

[TxRVer]

They have to get back the money they spent on "cash for clunkers".

[sookandy]

Don't forget to carry your government issued pedometer so they can get their sidewalk tax money off of your leather personnel carriers (LPC's).

[Kythas]

Don't overlook the fact that when the government charges per mile they will have to track your miles.

We have a winner! From the article:

"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..."

No one is installing tracking equipment in my vehicle. It is *no one's* business where I go, *especially* the government's!

My guess is that at some point all new vehicles would be required to have this capability. Eventually we wouldn't be able to avoid it.

My solution to the budget problem is simple. A 17% across the board flat tax. No deductions. No exemptions. No income limits. Everyone pays. That goes for personal as well as corporate income. Alternately, eliminate all income taxes and implement a 17% national sales tax. This would ensure people who get paid "under the table" would also pay taxes when they buy something. I would exempt food from this tax, though.

As to spending, stop all government subsidies to all private entities. No subsidies to oil and gas companies. No ethanol subsidies. No NPR subsidies. No subsidies of any kind. No private business should receive any form of government subsidy or payout. If a business can't compete in the private marketplace, let it fail. Our tax dollars should not go to any private company to keep it afloat.

Of course, they don't ask me, and this is only a partial solution, but it's a start.

[gigag04]

Hopefully he can't get it done soon enough. And with elections looming that would pretty much guarantee a new CIC in '12.

Might have to have a Houston tracking sensor party and throw all the sensors into the gulf.

[sjfcontrol]

Hopefully he can't get it done soon enough. And with elections looming that would pretty much guarantee a new CIC in '12.

Might have to have a Houston tracking sensor party and throw all the sensors into the gulf.

Would we have to dress as indians?

[Dave2]

Don't overlook the fact that when the government charges per mile they will have to track your miles.

"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..."

No one is installing tracking equipment in my vehicle. It is *no one's* business where I go, *especially* the government's!

My guess is that at some point all new vehicles would be required to have this capability. Eventually we wouldn't be able to avoid it.

I've actually come up with an invention that would tell someone how much you've driven a car without letting them know precisely where you've been! All you've gotta do is keep track of how many times the axle turns. When you add data on the size of the tires, you can compute the distance traveled! I call it an "odometer".



(Or they could raise the fuel tax. Or, and this is my favorite, they could mind their own bloody business and leave me alone.)

[mgood]

. . . Or, and this is my favorite, they could mind their own bloody business and leave me alone.

Yeah, wouldn't that be a pleasant change.

[Hoosier Daddy]

They can cut spending instead of raising taxes, but that might be good for the economy.

[C-dub]

I've been thinking about this whole thing for a little while now. It is an interesting idea, but the more I think about it the deeper it is likely to get. I mean, their excuse is for hybrid or even electric vehicles that will eventually not buy any gasoline and completely avoid all fuel taxes. They'll still have the taxes on electricity, but those don't go for roads and highways.

Of course, the next step is to tax by the mile, which seems reasonable at first. Next we would get into states where people drive through and don't stop for gas, so that state will not get any of their taxes even though I used their roads. After that we get down to the county and maybe even city level. Once we get beyond just paying by the mile and having to pay all these other people is where it gets to be too much. I would hope they would figure out some way that it would be close to the amount I currently pay in gas taxes now, but the government has no business knowing everywhere I go.

I don't think I actually mind the theory of paying a tax for another state or county or city road that I drive on. It's just the application of it that I object to at this time. Toll roads are becoming more an more prevalent and I do my best to avoid them, but before too long I won't be able to without greatly increasing my travel time.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Next we would get into states where people drive through and don't stop for gas, so that state will not get any of their taxes even though I used their roads.

In most cases, they're on interstate highways, and the feds get their gas tax from sales in all states.

[C-dub]

Mostly, but as soon as the pie starts getting divided up someone else is going to want another piece.

[TexasGal]

At the end of the day, the government gets bigger and average joe who can barely keep his head above water now pays more taxes. Big brother gets a great way to track people. A couple of states are already passing laws for a tax on electric cars. The only thing is the tax is greater than what the drivers were paying in gas taxes before. This will discourage people from the electric cars, which I think is a mistake. If most of the people who drive short distances in cities were driving electric cars, it would really help the air quality as well as lowering our dependence on oil.

[HankB]

Computerized GPS tracking in cars = a massive new hacking industry . . . if you're a computer geek, this may be a GREAT opportunity.

[lonewolf]

As always, the government would spend a FORTUNE to implement such a new tax. Office space, a few thousand redundant employees, attorneys to fight appeals (mine), a few more multi-billion dollar satellites to gather the data, rebates for the "required" device (like the digital TV converters), more attorneys to fight more appeals (more of mine), etc, etc. ad nauseum.....

Of course, all the illegal "guests" in our country would be exempt, since most of their vehicles are still registered to the previous (legitimate) owner.

I would put a "tin hat" on my car that would scramble the signal. Make it real pretty, like the one I would wear on my head so they can't tax my thoughts......

[sjfcontrol]

As always, the government would spend a FORTUNE to implement such a new tax. Office space, a few thousand redundant employees, attorneys to fight appeals (mine), a few more multi-billion dollar satellites to gather the data, rebates for the "required" device (like the digital TV converters), more attorneys to fight more appeals (more of mine), etc, etc. ad nauseum.....

Of course, all the illegal "guests" in our country would be exempt, since most of their vehicles are still registered to the previous (legitimate) owner.

I would put a "tin hat" on my car that would scramble the signal. Make it real pretty, like the one I would wear on my head so they can't tax my thoughts......

HEY!! Don't go giving them any ideas!