[Vision2020] tax by the mile

[lfalen]

  Sounds like shades of 1984 big brotherism to me.
-----Original message-----
From: "David M. Budge" dave at davebudge.com
Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2005 13:10:22 -0800
To: lfalen lfalen at turbonet.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] tax by the mile

> lfalen wrote:
> 
> >I don't see any advantage in taxing by the mile over the gas tax. The people with economy efficient cars would pay the same as those with gas guzzlers. It would be hard to police. How are you going to get everyone's odometer read? It would encourage cheating as odometers can be set back.
> >  
> >
> 
> Here's how the article address that:
> 
> " Seeing tax dollars dwindling, neighboring Oregon has already started 
> road testing the idea.
> 
> "Drivers will get charged for how many miles they use the roads, and 
> it's as simple as that," says engineer David Kim.
> 
> Kim and his team at Oregon State University equipped a test car with a 
> global positioning device to keep track of its mileage. Eventually, 
> every car would need one.
> 
> "So, if you drive 10 miles you will pay a certain fee which will be, 
> let's say, one tenth of what someone pays if they drive 100 miles," says 
> Kim.
> 
> The new tax would be charged each time you fill up. A computer inside 
> the gas pump would communicate with your car's odometer to calculate how 
> much you owe. "
> 
> It is also noteworthy that California is discussing have mandatory GPS 
> systems on every car that would be used to regulate speeding 
> violations.  If you speed, the GPS will have an automated computer 
> system generate a traffic ticket and send it to your home.  This is 
> already in practice in certain parts of the economy.  One large auto 
> rental company uses this technology for tracking the driving behavior of 
> its customers.  If you speed in the rental car they levy a surcharge. 
> 
> Dave Budge
>