Posted on 11/27/2004 10:07:25 AM PST by NormsRevenge
So many ideas; so little thought. I refer to that geyser of public policy wisdom known as Sacramento, from which the latest nostrum is the replacement of the per-gallon gasoline tax with a tax on miles driven, the latter to be monitored with a tracking device placed in autos.
This proposal is misguided economically and dangerous politically.
The economic idea is that the tax shift would raise additional revenues for road construction and maintenance, although that depends heavily on the magnitude of the new mileage tax and the ensuing responses of drivers.
More important, there is no guarantee that any additional revenues in fact would be spent on roads; Sacramento has circumvented the existing requirement that the revenues from the sales tax on gasoline be spent on roads by borrowing the funds and spending them on non-road programs. This practice did not end with the arrival of Arnold Schwarzenegger, and given the looming deficits of $7 billion and counting, it is likely to continue. Accordingly, the mileage tax "for roads" likely would become a general-fund revenue source.
(Excerpt) Read more at ocregister.com ...
Good thing my electric hybrid gets such great gas mileage so I can pay more taxes on even less gas! ;^)
Yeah, another tax. That should fix all the problems.
Better mileage, less fuel consumption, less money for the gummint to waste.......the answer is TAXES TAXES TAXES
Big Brother could care less about the tax. They already get money through the gas tax. It's mainly a way for them to track our every move and then punish certain driving and other behaviors with increased taxes and fines, or even criminal prosecution.
The government will use it to monitor our commute habits, driving speed, parking locations, meetings we attend, who our friends our, what bar we attend, etc, etc.
It is one of the most significant threats to freedom ever proposed in this country and must be fought tooth and nail.
California....what a cool place to live!
The fees to hitch a ride north from the boarder up into central and northern California will certainly triple once the tax is imposed.
Corrected: California....what a cool place to leave!
Isn't why more people are leaving California for Nevada or Utah?
Our ancestors really let us down when, in the name of public safety, relegated a "right" to travel on publicly funded roads to a "privilege" to travel on publicly funded roads.
Driver's license requirements, mandatory insurance, blood alcohol content, check points by police, all have quietly and effectively diminished a right so it was only a matter of time before the state wishes to monitor your every move for the sake of revenue or any other reason.
Again, that is what happens when rights become privileges.
It's a very bad idea...government inhibiting and interfering with the free movement of citizens in a "free" country.
So of the 3 businesses I own here in Ca and fleet of about 150 vehicles ------ lets see how much that would cost ME ---- I mean my customers.
Oh and I live in El Dorado County where more than 50% of the jobs here are NOT from the private sector but Government ---- let's see the Governments share would be ----- ?
Ecactly! That is the thinking of the liberal left.
My geographical area can sometimes be dry, we have to drastically conserve water, one year we did such a good job, the water rates were raised because the revenue was less due to compliance....
Not sure how factual it was, but I did read that in NYC every time the tax on cigarettes was raised, the less total revenue the city collected.
Duh, let's see...
First we pay tax on every gallon of gas we purchase "to pay for new roads and reconstruction".
Then we pay permit fees, including road fees, for new developments (causes more traffic, you know).
Now, they want us to tell them each mile we drive, so that they can tax us on the mileage.
Next, they will know the mileage on the engine, so they can tell us when to change it (like the Japanese). Or, they could tell us when we need new tires... or an oil change...
Hmmmm. Sounds OK to me!!!!!!! NOOOOOOTTTTTTT!
Then the folks that overused their water and were fined, had those fines forgiven and the people who lost their lawns, etc. were the ones who suffered.
John Galt, where are you!
It's a lot less intrusive and should appeal more to the eco-weenies.
SO9
so goes california, so goes the nation.
Don't forget the 18 cent tax we pay on a gallon of gas here is TAXED by the State sales tax. Where does it say we can be taxed on our TAXES??? I wish someone could get to the bottom of this.
Plus with the cost of gas going up 50% in the last year, where is all the extra sales tax money going???
To fix the roads or in some Pol's pocket?
A majority of the stupid voters in my area approved a bill to raise the sales tax in this county by 1/4%. To pay for bike paths, railroads and roads...guess what will come last?
The last time a tax hike was on the ballot to widen Hwy 101 it was defeated. Guess what, they had the money already and widened the road.
Our Federal Tax (18 cents per gallon) goes to Washington and never comes back.
About 800,000 per year. Now, mind you, that's generally people with jobs, so in a few years you're going to see a state that will literally collapse under it's own socialist weight and cry for bailouts from the rest of us. They're supporting half of Mexico.
I'm against the tax. To hear Sacramento's song and dance, they're really hurting for highway funds because cars are getting better mileage. Strangely they forget to admit that there are two or three times more cars on the roads that there were in the 70s. The income is there from the gas tax. They just aren't spending the funds on the roads. Instead they are spending multiple billions of dollars on rail lines that run for five to twenty miles to basicly nowhere.
Why do I say nowhere? Because those rail lines go nowhere near the place I work. They seldom do for anyone. If you happen to live in just the right place and work in just the right place, they may work for you. Then you have to face the fact that you'll only be able to take a taxi or walk if you need to leave the office.
Mass transit in Los Angeles is a pipe dream that will never work the way the politboro thinks.
It's time to do away with the diamond lanes, thus expanding the lanes available to all the cars by 25 to 33% Then build new lanes by stacking.
The federal government is going to manage another five to ten million newcomers to the Los Angeles area in five to ten years. Why not think ahead a little and prepare in advance.
In five to then years they'll only be able to install another two or three rail lines to nowhere. Instead, expand the roads today.
I'd like to take their electronic tracking systems and shove them where the sun don't shine. At least then we could run studies on where all the hot air really comes from. We could also limit their movements to just the supermarkets and perhaps church. This would improve society emensely.
Sound like you could be close. Here in Grover Beach, it's pot hole heaven. The City would rather spend money on entrance palm trees than fix the streets.
Thanx for the reply. Sometimes I feel like I'm out in left field.
Government is our ONLY growth industry! This is an anti-sprawl tax designed specifically to force you and your businesses back into the blue zone cities because the liberals want you back on their plantation!!!
It's inexcusable that a Republican Governor appointed yet another militant, big government Socialista to head the DMV and seriously propose this anethma for CA!!!
Oh! You did know the Governor put El Dorado and 21 other Sierra-Nevada counties into a new regional government, didn't you???
An easier way to eliminate diamond lanes would be to reduce the diamond lane violation fine from $271 (or whatever) to $0. That would make it almost a normal lane without the additional restriping/painting costs. I don't know how it would work with federal highway funds, if they require diamond lanes for certain funding.
Oh, and BTW you are out in RIGHT field...
:>)
the 'law of unintended consequences' is something libs have never understood.
may as well drive a big car and survive a crash.
vast prosperity is a wonderful "problem" to have!
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