Oregonians going to pay tax by the mile

[leslie]

Residents of Oregon will be paying a road tax according to how many miles they drive, replacing the gasoline tax that pays for roads. What happens to people who travel out of the state?

[pinstriper]

They're going to put a gizmo in your vehicle that will track everywhere you go, and stop accumulating miles when you leave the state.

They promise not to use the information for anything else. And also to keep is safe from hackers. {snickers}

Oh, and in case you were wondering, they will NOT be rolling back any fuel taxes. This is just a substitute for an additional fuel tax. Not the $0.19/gal that they just passed, mind you, the next one.

Somebody's gotta pay for the bike lanes.

[leslie]

This does not sound like a good idea. I remember when the first seat belt law was passed in Indiana, where I was living at that time. Citizens were promised that they would not be stopped just for seat belt violations. We all know what happened after that.

I hope people in Oregon can stop this before other states think they want to do this too.

[whoofit]

Consumption taxes like this are the way of the future. Let's hope they apply these to other items and give us some choices on what to buy/use or not or where.

In my state we have an annual excise tax on our vehicles. It is imposed to do the same as your new tax does, though we all know how the public trough really works. It doesn't matter if that vehicle travels 25 miles or 25000 miles per year. They all cost the same tax as a percentage of their value....which sucks. First year it's like paying double sales tax!

[cadman70454]

Taxing by the gallon encourages fuel efficiency and conservation.  Taxing by the mile driven, not so much.

[pinstriper]

[quote timestamp="1436024751" source="/post/12921/thread" author="@cadman70454"]Taxing by the gallon encourages fuel efficiency and conservation.  Taxing by the mile driven, not so much.[/quote][p]True. But it also means as you accomplish fuel efficiency, the funding for road maintenance diminishes.[/p][p]
[/p][p]Of course, they play this shell game. The revenue will be "earmarked" for roads. Then they turn around and say "well, now that we've got that money for roads, we can reduce the amount spent from the general fund on roads by that amount". Presto ! They've spent your road taxes on something else.[/p][p]
[/p][p]Bastages.
[/p]

[farmboy]

Here in Minnesota, our tax on vehicles takes into account the value of the vehicle; never made sense to me.   But I don't know what type of 'road' tax makes sense.  Weight and distance driven would seem to be a logical basis for a tax.  My primary concern is that the revenue generated does actually  go toward roads and bridges; we have some pretty old bridges in Minnesota that are in need of replacement.  No tax is fun to pay, but nuttin' is free.  

[jeeps]

[font size="3"]Great.  Gotta love Oregon for its government stupidity.  Those of us who live outside the relatively small geographically, Democrat-led Portland/Salem areas, pull our hair out over what we deal with.  We, in the smaller towns and communities that populate the vast majority of this state, basically have no voice here.

Why isn't the gas tax enough?  Being taxed on the fuel we consume is fair.  Am I to assume our vehicles are becoming too efficient and the tax revenues aren't maintaining the roads?  Well too bad.  Logic says we should be rewarded for our fuel efficiency, but no.  More penalties.   Putting a device in our car to monitor our miles and whereabouts is too much.  They say it's voluntary for now ..... as if that'll last.  

I love this state and have lived here all my life, but the temptation to move is sometimes overwhelming.  [/font]

[aznighthiker]

I do not think this is a good idea though I am looking at this issue for more information. I do not know how much revenue this would raise when compared to the current system of an excise tax on fuel, or how this would affect shared revenue from the federal government or sharing revenue from the state to the counties and cities. Out of state registered vehicles including commercial vehicles though they use the road how would they contribute ? I like to bicycle and also started bicycle touring, we cyclist use the road and should contribute and Portland alone has seventy-five bicycle shops. Does Oregon have an excess in revenue collection that they can support their vehicle transportation with this type of revenue source ? Or is this in addition to the fuel excise tax ?

[cadman70454]

[font size="3"]Putting a device in our car to monitor our miles and whereabouts is too much.[/font]

[p]
[/p][p]Don't track me, bro.
[/p]

[drdave]

[quote source="/post/12950/thread" author="@brenda" timestamp="1436119656"][font size="3"]Putting a device in our car to monitor our miles and whereabouts is too much.[/font]

[p]
[/p][p]Don't track me, bro.
[/p][/quote]Somewhere George Orwell is grinning

[thudd3r]

Increases in the popularity of home made bio diesel and electric cars means the state governments are not guaranteed the funds for road repairs that they have historically collected for every vehicle through fuel taxes.   States are looking for ways to regain that guaranteed funding

[dh50]

It's so much bigger than funding roads, or clean air.  It's about behavior modification. The 'black box', computers and GPS are already in all later model vehicles, so the infrastructure is there.  

Wonder why such a push for rail transportation and walking/bike paths across the nation? To get us out of our cars and onto public transportation and bikes.  Why?  The answer is not good.  
(Sidenote: Our LL trailers may be light, but doubtful any can be pulled by bikes.)

But as stated, it's so much bigger than even this.  And these Oregonians in the video link below know and have been in the fight.  BTW, all states are targeted and are in various phases of 'Agenda 21'....one county at a time.  Who cares?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2EVX4VYp8g

https://oragenda21.wordpress.com/

[whoofit]

[p]I wonder if they are proposing to mount a tracking device to your trailers as well as the TVs? In my state you pay annual excise tax as a percentage of vehicle value on the trailers too. If it has a registration you pay annual excise. Did I mention it sucks?[/p][p]
[/p][p]I'll wager a bet that you all will still pay less than our system. The fact that it is voluntary kind of solidifies that.[/p][p]
[/p][p]I am slightly paranoid about tracking. So much so that I refuse to use the EZ Pass system at the toll booths and pay cash instead. But that is only one way to be tracked. This device only tracks your vehicle, not who is in it. Your cell phone (if you have one) already tracks your person pretty darn well. Some insurance companies are offering tracking devices to profile you driving habits and adjust your premium based on it.[/p][p]
[/p][p]Voluntary taxes are donations in my mind and therefore should be tax deductible... P-) Too bad it is a public sector thing....[/p]

[shovelhead]

I thought the tracking device was implanted at the base of the skull.    Pretty "Progressive"  I think....