I would suspect, energy-concerned folks, will be facing an Up-Hill struggle, on finding the right way to deliver THIS message ...
Dems, you want to DO WHAT, now!?
The Rube Goldberg Gas Tax
Rick Ferri, blogs.forbes.com -- May 5 2011
The Obama administration is floating a transportation authorization bill that would tax automobile drivers based on how many miles they drive.
This new tax is being considered to make up for lost gas tax revenue as cars and drivers become more energy efficient. The proposed “Transportation Opportunities Act” would mandate a Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) tax that’s calculated by installing electronic equipment on each car and at filling stations. VMT calculation and payment would take place electronically every time you buy gas at the pump.
[...]
Does that new-fangled VMT Device, come with GPS tracking too?
[Continuing ...] if the Obama administration wants to make up lost revenue because people are being more energy efficient, why not just increase the gas tax? The federal excise tax on gasoline is already 18.4 cents per gallon and 24.4 cents per gallon for diesel fuel. Increasing this tax fixes the lost revenue problem. It’s a simple solution that doesn’t require that we all buy expensive equipment for our cars to essentially pay a new gas tax.
I believe VMT should be called the Rube Goldberg Gas Tax because while it’s objective is the same as the gas tax, the way it collects revenue is extremely complex, costly and cumbersome. It’s understandable that the administration wishes to avoid the stigma of increasing gas prices when the price of gas is about $4 per gallon, but VMT is so close to a gas tax that it’s going to be called that anyway.
Word of advice Dems, get over the Tax Phobia. It may be time to 'Man up' on America's long-standing Revenue Problem. Modern Life is expensive.
A Gas Tax by any other name, is STILL a Revenue-Enhancing Pain-at-the-Pump.
Those on the right, are going to Call it a Socialist Tax anyway,
No matter what WE end up "naming it" ... to blunt the pocketbook pain:
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Fox Business News -- Latest Video -- May 6, 2011
Washington Looking to Tax You More at the Pump?
FBN's Gerri Willis on the new gas tax being considered in Washington.
[ Link to the Fox News Video take on the Gax Tax Topic ]
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And there is a small matter of Bureaucratic Oversight and Enforcement of these new VMT meters ...
GOP senators say no gas tax to pay for Obama transportation budget
by Keith Laing, thehill.com - 04/04/11
The Republicans said they hoped the White House would not consider raising the gas tax to offset the costs of the 2012 budget request.
"To communicate to our constituents whether or not the $435 billion trust fund represents a large gas tax increase, we respectfully request details on how the Administration calculated the amount of revenue it envisions for the 'Bipartisan financing for Transportation Trust Fund,' " the senators wrote.
HOWEVER, there is a more practical Non-Bureaucratic way to make up for all that Lost Roads Revenue, due to the increasing popularity of Energy-Efficient vehicles ...
Simple, direct, painless ... it's a "Message" that might even sell the VMT idea, too:
Transportation Tax Transparency
Sue Lani Madsen, blog.seattlepi.com -- May 6, 2011
[...]
A tracking device to measure vehicle miles traveled is a non-starter, but reporting total miles annually when renewing the car license wouldn’t be too intrusive. If you cheated, it would just come due when the car was sold or totaled [...]
We essentially pay a mileage tax now, only it’s measured indirectly by how many gallons of gas we use instead of by how many miles we drive. A mileage tax would put hybrids, solar charged, electric, and gas vehicles all on equal footing when it comes to road use.
[...]
Americans like to Drive.
Americans HAVE to Drive -- in many cases. Such is the nature of "Work".
Americans need to be willing to Pay for those Roads, that we all Drive on.
We need to learn to pay for things as we go, again ... you know PAYGO.
In one way or another that is going to mean paying for more "Revenue-Enhancing Fees" ... no matter, whatever Clever-Tax-Scourge they end up being renamed as, by the Tea Party-Gopher Pay-for-Nothing crowd.
Hey Rube Goldberg 'Free Lunchers" -- time to get over it -- get over the Tax Phobia, already.
Society is NOT cheap. Taxes are the Price we pay for 'Civilized Life'.
Taxes are the Price we pay for "Freedom" ...
Unless ... we don't want THAT anymore either?
Updated by jamess at Sat May 07, 2011 at 10:57 AM PDT
As per, Media Matters, (and doc2) in the immediate comments below:
Right-wing media seized on the leak of an undated, "early working draft" of a proposed transportation authorization bill to suggest that President Obama plans to tax automobile drivers based on how many miles they drive [...] But the Obama administration has not embraced such a proposal
Media Matters
I'm currently going to let this post stand, to help dispel the Rightwing Confusion being promoted over the Gas Tax issue -- it was enough to fool me, this morning. Please take this diary, with all the grains of salt, warranted. Thanks.