Posted on 03/25/2011 7:10:33 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Dumb ideas never die in Washington, DC. They just get stuck in committee. Proving that once again is outgoing Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND), attempting to revive an idea for a new tax that was so intrusive and unwieldy that even Barack Obama had to disavow it two years ago when his Transportation Secretary starting pushing the notion. Conrad points to a new CBO study saying that taxing Americans on their car mileage will provide a windfall for the federal government:
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) this week released a report that said taxing people based on how many miles they drive is a possible option for raising new revenues and that these taxes could be used to offset the costs of highway maintenance at a time when federal funds are short.
The report discussed the proposal in great detail, including the development of technology that would allow total vehicle miles traveled (VMT) to be tracked, reported and taxed, as well as the pros and cons of mandating the installation of this technology in all vehicles.
“In the past, the efficiency costs of implementing a system of VMT charges — particularly the costs of users’ time for slowing and queuing at tollbooths — would clearly have outweighed the potential benefits from more efficient use of highway capacity,” CBO wrote. “Now, electronic metering and billing are making per-mile charges a practical option.”
The report was requested by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), who held a hearing on transportation funding in early March. In that hearing, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the Obama administration is hoping to spend $556 billion over the next six years, much of which would go to federal transportation improvement projects.
A “practical option” for whom, exactly? Perhaps for the IRS, but certainly not for taxpayers. One shudders to think what happens when the IRS gets your annual mileage wrong and a taxpayer disputes the record. Where were you on the night of April 19th, Canarsie? We show you drove 6.3 miles to Bada-Bing Strip Club in New Jersey. Even if exact destinations aren’t recorded (earlier suggestions were to use GPS devices), the taxpayer would get hit with a massive bill during the annual tax-preparation ritual with little or no chance to dispute the claims of the government.
Plus, let’s talk about equipment costs, both private and public. This new tax system would require tracking equipment in every vehicle, which would mean retrofit costs for current vehicles and higher prices for new cars immediately. What are the unemployed supposed to do — stop driving? That should help when it comes to looking for work.
The government will either have to use GPS devices (that will track and record destination data) or install tollbooth passes every few miles on every road in America. The IRS will also have to set up an enforcement bureau to ensure that drivers don’t disable their tracking systems. In California, this meant that every driver had to get semiannual emission-control equipment inspections, an expensive waste of time and money for most drivers. Will the IRS, which is just now branching out into the health-insurance inspection business, add a national DMV bureau as well?
Finally, do we really want to live in a country where the federal government virtually follows you everywhere you go? Growing up in the Cold War, that’s what we were told the Soviet Union was like. It will be the high-tech version of internal travel documents, or at the very least puts that power in the hands of the federal government.
This is the reason we use the gasoline tax for transportation costs. It doesn’t require the government to track the movements of citizens on a moment-to-moment basis, and it doesn’t require any record-keeping for either the drivers or the government bureau. It’s a point-of-sale transaction that proceeds transparently and relieves the taxpayer of a lump-sum burden at the end of the year.
The problem with the federal budget isn’t a lack of resources. It’s a lack of will to use those resources wisely. The government doesn’t need to track the movements of more than 300 million people to squeeze more revenue out of them — it needs to spend less of their money in the first place.
It’s easy “not to comply” with something that hasn’t been implemented yet.
Last night on Fox business TV there were two guys talking about a new Comm. Satellite that some company tied to FEC and White House had launched. It would be negating GPS when it went into operation. These two men were asking Rep. Issa to investigate the buddy/ buddy situation. Your GPS may not work then, is what they said.
And you know what? ... I lied earlier when I wrote that your weakness affected me not. Actually, it is people that hold beliefs like yours that lead our professional politicians to believe that they can run over citizens like dead skunks in the roadway. It threatens the liberty of everyone else.
Freedom warrior, indeed ... NOT. A poser is what you seem to be.
You presume to know a lot, notice how quick you are to judge what you *think* I believe and how you *think* I behave, all because I dared to question the bold talk safe behind a keyboard on an anonymous message board. In reality, you know absolutely nothing about me. (Hence is the nature of the internet.)
What I said is a fact... it is quite easy to “not comply” with something that hasn’t even been implemented. It is also quite easy to talk about how one will not comply with a host of hypothetical. It is another thing entirely to put that talk into action.
Talk is cheap. Talk on an anonymous internet message board is even cheaper.
No. Writing something once might be questioning in good faith, but a sustained series of posts insinuating that I am lying because I'm on a forum amounts to a bit more than that.
"You presume to know a lot, ..."
Nope. My comments in this thread have been directed at your specific comments, and my conclusions come from reading your words.
"Talk on an anonymous internet message board is even cheaper."
It might surprise you to know that Free Republic is much more than an anonymous 'message board'. Over the dozen years that I've been registered, I've made good friendships. There are people here that gather together for everything from political rallies to barbeques with friends. Those that do know me are here and my credibility is out there ready to be smacked down by people with facts. Check back as far as you want, you won't find the smacks.
"In reality, you know absolutely nothing about me."
All I know is from your writing and if you don't want to be judged on that, reconsider posting. From this exchange I do know that I don't care to know you any better. Good day.
I live on my mountain out in the country where neighbors are few and far between. I have my own water well... we all have our own well. I recently learned that my county intends to install meters on our wells and charge us for our own water.
Sounds like you are going to drill another will that goes unreported. One well for the government, the other well for freedom.
It’s already against state law to collect rain water in barrels or in any other manner.
Do they force you to cover-up swimming pools and stock tanks?
Let me guess... "It's all about ME ME ME ME ME ME ME!" How dare anyone point out that talk is cheap and action is difficult.
Nope. My comments in this thread have been directed at your specific comments, and my conclusions come from reading your words.
Except your conclusions don't follow. You built a strawman.
It might surprise you to know that Free Republic is much more than an anonymous 'message board'. Over the dozen years that I've been registered, I've made good friendships. There are people here that gather together for everything from political rallies to barbeques with friends. Those that do know me are here and my credibility is out there ready to be smacked down by people with facts. Check back as far as you want, you won't find the smacks.
So, are you willing to post under your real name and address? Are you willing to write out a list of the laws that you are currently not complying with?
All I know is from your writing and if you don't want to be judged on that, reconsider posting. From this exchange I do know that I don't care to know you any better. Good day.
That's fine.
“Sounds like you are going to drill another will that goes unreported. One well for the government, the other well for freedom.”
I have been studying ways to get around it.... and will.
“Do they force you to cover-up swimming pools and stock tanks? “
No- on the stock tanks. Only indoor pools would be usable where I live.
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