I think there are a lot of flaws in the whole "mileage tax" concept, but the underlying premise is not unsound. The whole purpose of it is to address what is becoming an increasing disconnect between a motorist's use of a public roadway and the amount of money they pay in taxes to use it. As cars become more fuel efficient and more cars use forms of energy other than gasoline, the revenue generated through traditional fuel taxes simply declines.
Let's look at a basic flaw of the fuel tax: in some respects it has no connection to just how much use a motorist has on a highway system. Think about it: if two vehicles are driving next to each other from Los Angeles to New York and one of them gets 40 miles per gallon of fuel and the other gets only 20, does the second car really "cost" the public only half as much for the use of the highway system between Los Angeles and New York?
“Let’s look at a basic flaw of the fuel tax: in some respects it has no connection to just how much use a motorist has on a highway system. Think about it: if two vehicles are driving next to each other from Los Angeles to New York and one of them gets 40 miles per gallon of fuel and the other gets only 20, does the second car really “cost” the public only half as much for the use of the highway system between Los Angeles and New York? “
Thanks Alberta. However, often it does cost half as much, if the car getting 20 MPG is twice the weight and is also chewing up the concrete at twice the rate.
My overall point is that people in the US will pay, at least, an extra 20 cents per mile to drive (it’s that important)...but highways are VERY CHEAP to maintain, and even expand. Increase the gas tax the equivalent of maybe 1, or at most 2 cents per mile (i.e., 20 to 40 cents per gallon) and all the needed money will show up. But install a VMT, and they WILL want the full 20 cents per mile...with at least 90% of it going to ‘healthcare’ or something else unrelated. So, sure, the gas tax isn’t perfect, but it does limit the overall taxation of government and giving government a new way to tax will be VERY PAINFUL to drivers...who will have to pay for everything under the sun, including roads (as they do in Europe now).