The Left Wants To Track Where And How Much You Drive - And Tax You On It

Here's a statist bureaucrat's wet dream - a black box in your car that tracks where you drive and how far, and then sends you a tax bill.

Both members of congress and state legislatures in Blue states are salivating over imposing this on every car driven in America.

The rationale is that funds are needed to maintain and fund improvements in the highway systems, and the money isn't there. Apparently the hefty sales and excise taxes,which in  high tax states like California can average almost 25% of the retail price of a gallon of gasoline at the pump  either aren't enough or are being used elsewhere.

The Left is also seeing the results of som eof its favorite crusades,  the push for hybrid electric cars (which use less gas at the pump but run on electricity generated by plants that run on fossil fuels or coal for the most part unless you're in a location where hydroelectric is available) and the constant war on domestic energy creation which has resulted in high fuel prices that have people simply driving less as a personal economy measure.

So they want to go to the black boxes.There's no mention, of course about exactly where the taxes collected at the pump are actually going.

As an added bonus, they will also be used to track where you drive and even whether you're exceeding the speed limit...so an electronic ticket can be generated and automatically mailed to you. It's a lot cheaper and more inclusive for them than those little radar guns and the overhead cameras.

Needless to say, the Ruling Class will almost certainly receive waivers if this goes into effect.

Wonks call it a mileage-based user fee. It is no surprise that the idea appeals to urban liberals, as the taxes could be rigged to change driving patterns in ways that could help reduce congestion and greenhouse gases, for example. California planners are looking to the system as they devise strategies to meet the goals laid out in the state's ambitious global warming laws.

Of course they are.The idea is control, and ideally forcing people to primarily use public transportation by making private cars very expensive propositions to use.

At one point, the article refers to the proposed black box imposed levy as a ' mileage-based user fee'.

User fees, like the registration fees you pay to your local Department of Motor Vehicles are currently a tax deductible item. Anyone want to bet this 'user fee' won't be?