Obama floats plan to tax cars by the mile

[andalusian]

And yet, nothing in this proposal talks about doing away with the "gas tax".

Page 441. Section 4103. Maybe. I am not a lawyer. I do not speak legalize.

"APPROPRIATION TO THE TRANSPORTATION TRUST FUND
OF AMOUNTS EQUIVALENT TO CERTAIN TAXES AND PENALTIES.--"

ore October 1, 2019, under the following provisions--
"(A) section 4041 (relating to taxes on diesel fuels and
special motor fuels),
"(B) section 4051 (relating to retail tax on heavy trucks and
trailers),
"(C) section 4071 (relating to tax on tires),
"(D) section 4081 (relating to tax on gasoline, diesel fuel,
and kerosene),
"(E) section 4481 (relating to tax on use of certain
vehicles), and
"(F) section XXXX (relating to the [new energy tax])

 

[barfo]

It would be an economic disaster. The issue with 2nd loans; with the assumption that they can leverage invest would be peanuts to the ramifications of a bill like this. Basically, you have absolutely no control on the amount of tax you pay for driving to work. Like you mentioned. It's much easier to buy a fuel efficient car, than it is to buy a home closer to work. And to top it off, there is absolutely no way the federal government will release a hundreds of trillion dollar revenue for their gas tax. It's just not fiscally possible.

What a fucking waste of paper to file a bill like this.

It's a feasibility study. It's not a tax bill.

Eventually, we are going to run out of oil. When that will happen, we can debate, but it will happen. Before it happens, gas prices are going to go up much more than anything you are worrying about here. Eventually, your middle-class buddy who commutes a long distance won't be able to afford to do it in his gas-powered vehicle, even with no mileage tax.

Eventually, gas tax revenues go to zero because gas goes to zero. That's why government is studying this idea. They are facing declining revenues from gas tax.

Worrying about whether you have to pay gas tax + mileage tax is really missing the big picture entirely.

barfo

 

[Denny Crane]

This has to be one of the worst ideas I've seen in a long while. Tax the poor. The rich will pay whatever anyway, and drive around in their expensive gas guzzlers. It's obviously bad for jobs, as workers will not be able to afford their rent and food along with the gas (it's precarious already).

 

[BrianFromWA]

I don't necessarily mind "floating" this plan. Someone's trying to solve problems by thinking outside the box, and bringing it up for debate.

I don't think that it's a good plan, but I don't have a problem the government putting a plan out there for debate and voting. Now, if some committee somewhere behind a closed door came up with this, bribed a few senators to vote for it, and put it out there as a fait accompli I'd be upset by the lack of transparency in legislating our country.