Massachusetts May Consider A Mileage Charge

SFChronicle ^ | February 17, 2009

[Steelfish]

Massachusetts may consider a mileage charge

By GLEN JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

A tentative plan to overhaul Massachusetts' transportation system by using GPS chips to charge motorists a quarter-cent for every mile behind the wheel has angered some drivers.

"It's outrageous, it's kind of Orwellian, Big Brotherish," said Sen. Scott Brown, R-Wrentham, who drafted legislation last week to prohibit the practice. "You'd need a whole new department of cronies just to keep track of it."

But a "Vehicle Miles Traveled" program like the one the governor may unveil this week has already been tested — with positive results — in Oregon.

[mmichaels1970]

Same thing was recommended by a task force here in Ohio. Marxist slavery sucks.

[relictele]

Love the MSM and lefties: someone else is doing it so we should too!

They are truly the party of and for infantilism.

[mikelets456]

Hey Mass. residents,
You IDIOTS keep voting these morons in!! You do not have my sympathy....

[utherdoul]

The system is rolled out ... within fifteen minutes at most the system is cracked, and a few tech savy guys post a solution on a forum and very soon the masses are avoiding the tax altogether.

[tx_eggman]

Any car I purchase that has a built in GPS that the gov’ment wants to monitor .. that little device will be failing within 30 minutes of me leaving the lot.

[o_zarkman44]

take the chip out and leave it at home.

Probably be a 10 year prison term for non compliance..or tax evasion. Hey Turbo Tim, any suggestions??

[mmichaels1970]

How will they bill for lawn mowers? What if you were to show up at the gas station with four 5-gallon containers?

[libertarian27]

Hey now, MA residents here didn’t vote him in...jeepers

What they’ll do is back off on this after everyone freaks out and then impose more state gas tax....

and everyone one will go....

“Phew, thank goodness they aren’t GPS’ing the cars”

[Red in Blue PA]

“But a “Vehicle Miles Traveled” program like the one the governor may unveil this week has already been tested — with positive results — in Oregon.”

“Positive” to whom?????

[N. Theknow]

So....if the GPS shows you went from Worcester to Newton in less than 30 minutes, does it include a speeding ticket with the mileage charge?

[Red in Blue PA]

Bang it with a hammer and say it broke.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

They’re going to finally put lane markers on their streets?

[Redbob]

We already have a tax on miles traveled:

it’s called a gas tax.

More miles you travel, the more you pay.

[Red in Blue PA]

No, this is ANOTHER tax for mileage.

Get with the script!

[KarlInOhio]

A squirrel got under my car and chewed the wire again.

Since this device will have long term memory of routes, mileage, dates, times, etc. it will probably be more expensive than the bottom of the line $99 GPS at electronics stores. Add on top of that the state infrastructure to track who has which GPS, what mileage they are traveling, how much to charge and then collect the tax. There is no way that $30/year for the average 12,000 mile per year driver will be worth it. This is merely the first step until they decide that a "fairer" price would be 5¢ / mile.

[RetiredArmy]

I said this a long time ago. They will start taxing the miles we drive. They will make you put down on your tax form the start and end miles on every vehicle you have registered. Then charge you so much per mile. It’s coming. They have to pay for this crap some way. TAXES are the only way. There is no other way, BUT TAXES.

[gidget7]

I would do the same, BUT this evil little device to tax mileage, would be on the emission sticker that has to be replaced every year when inspection is done. If you have no sticker you are fined.

MA is trying to fast track the bleeding, to full fledged hemorrhaging!

[o_zarkman44]

Thank you for using On Star Sheriff’s version. Please insert $2.25 cents for first 1/4 mile. Call it a taxi tax, or a tax taxi. Make it too expensive for average people to own a car. The end of personal freedom.

I suppose this is some technology being forced on the automakers for taking bailout money?

[Westlander]

Job creation for hackers.