[Vision2020] Tax by the mile

Tue Feb 15 15:20:13 PST 2005

Do you really think that the oil industry is going to support a
"By-the-Mile" tax?

The tax does sound appealing as it makes car pooling more financially
attractive.  But, as less and less fuel is consumed on our highways (which I
support), the big oil companies will watch their bottom line slowly diminish
(something I am sure will not give them a warm fuzzy).

As appealing as this tax appears, I don't see it making it down the first
hallway in congress.

Tom Hansen

Moscow, Idaho 

We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are
dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors....but they all
exist very nicely in the same box. 

  _____  

From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]
On Behalf Of Joan Opyr
Sent: Tuesday, February 15, 2005 2:57 PM
To: Vision2020 Moscow
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Tax by the mile

Professor Budge,

I guess my question would be what, comparatively speaking, is the damage
done by a lightweight hybrid that gets 51 miles per gallon as opposed to
something that costs $500 a month in gas?  Let's do the math here -- my car
(a 1995 Mercury Tracer) gets 37 miles to the gallon, which means that I'd
use 54.06 gallons of gas to drive 2000 miles, the number cited by Mr. Jason
Just as the total of his monthly commute.  In Moscow, at present, gas is
$1.88 per gallon, so I'd pay $101.63 for my 2000 miles.  Even with his 51
mpg hybrid, Mr. Just says that he's only saving about $300 per month.
Either gas is much more expensive where Mr. Just lives, or he's clocking up
more than 2000 miles per month.  

Assuming a gas price of $1.88 per gallon (just for the hell of it), I have
to wonder what kind of vehicle Mr. Just was commuting his 2000 miles a month
in that could possibly have cost him $500 to operate?  Was it by any chance
Ford Excursion?  Or a Humvee?  Or a combine harvester?  Because (and ya'll
feel free to correct my math here) it looks to me like Mr. Just was only
getting 7.52 miles to the gallon.  I also own a 1976 Chevy Suburban that
mostly sits in my driveway and drips oil, but when I do break it out of the
mothballs, even it gets about 12 mpg.

So here's the thing -- if you insist on commuting 2000 miles per month in a
combine harvester rather than a gas/electric hybrid, then I'd guess that you
were doing more road damage than you would if you switched to a lighter
weight, more pavement-friendly Toyota Prius.  Hence, it doesn't really
matter if the states are collecting less at the pump; it should all even out
because they'll need to perform less road maintenance.  Or, to put it
another way, those vehicles which do the most damage to the road, AKA large
trucks, SUVs, and tractor trailers, will be justly obliged to pay the bulk
of the gas taxes.

How's my Democratic answer, Professor Budge?  Did I pass the exam?

Joan Opyr/Auntie Establishment

www.auntie-establishment.com

----- Original Message -----

From: David M. Budge

Sent: Tuesday, February 15, 2005 1:08 PM

To: Vision2020 Moscow

Subject: [Vision2020] Tax by the mile

(I emailed this previously, but it seems to have fallen into the bit 
bucket - if a duplicate is delivered I apologize in advance)

What say you to this Republicans and Democrats?

Dave Budge

<http://www.cbsnews.com>
------------------------------------------------------------------------

States Mull Taxing Drivers By Mile
CORVALLIS, Ore., Feb. 14, 2005

College student Jayson Just commutes an odometer-spinning 2,000 miles a 
month. As CBS News Correspondent Sandra Hughes reports, his monthly gas 
bill once topped his car payment.

"I was paying about $500 a month," says Just.

So Just bought a fuel efficient hybrid and said goodbye to his 
gas-guzzling BMW.

And what kind of mileage does he get?

"The EPA estimate is 60 in the city, 51 on the highway," says Just

And that saves him almost $300 a month in gas. It's great for Just but 
bad for the roads he's driving on, because he also pays a lot less in 
gasoline taxes which fund highway projects and road repairs. As more and 
more hybrids hit the road, cash-strapped states are warning of rough 
roads ahead.

  _____  

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