Apparently the huge Federal excise taxes on gasoline and oil products aren't enough. Now, the Feds are mulling proposals to raid your wallet by taxing you based on the miles you drive per year.
The rationale given is that this could be used as a spiffy new way to raise revenues and offset the costs of highway maintenance at a time when federal funds are short.Funny, I thought the Federal excise taxes and state taxes on gas were supposed to do that...not to mention the taxes truckers pay every year based on weight.
The report, requested by retiring Democrat Kent Conrad ( ND) is pretty detailed, including the development and installation of technology that would be mandated on all vehicles to allow total vehicle miles traveled (VMT) to be tracked, reported and taxed.
"Do we do gas tax?" Conrad asked. "Do we move to some kind of an assessment that is based on how many miles vehicles go, so that we capture revenue from those who are going to be using the roads who aren't going to be paying any gas tax, or very little, with hybrids and electric cars?"
Anyone want to bet that, just like the gas taxes, the money raised is earmarked to be spent elsewhere than 'highway maintenance?
They want you out of your cars and into things like Obama's high speed rail boondoggle.
And between now and then, they want every penny you have and will stop at nothing to get it.
Over at Crusader Rabbit's place a few weeks ago, we talked about an "eerie synchronicity" of action by Western leaders. This is another example. The idea has been doing the rounds in Britain for a few years. Yes, nominally it is to ensure that electric vehicle users pay their "fair share" for road costs.
ReplyDeleteMore accurately of course, it is to ensure that the State knows where and when everyone travelled. After all, we can't have people displaced from air travel (because they didn't wish to ask for government permission (think No Fly lists) every time) going about their business without government supervision, can we?
[We the people need government supervision in everything we do. For without that help and assistance we would be so helpless. (/sarcasm)]