Oregon proposes taxing EVs by miles driven - and tracking them with GPS

[wtmusic]

"In Oregon, a bill would charge drivers of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles 1.43 cents for each mile they drive. The law, which is being watched closely as a possible model for other states, would go into effect beginning in 2014. Currently, American drivers pay on average about two cents per mile in state and federal taxes.

"It's a fairness issue," said Sen. Bruce Starr, a Republican from Hillsboro, Oregon, a proponent of the VMT bill. "They're not paying any gas tax. Everyone else is paying, why should they get a fair ride?"

Although it is not clear how the miles would be tracked and taxed by the state, a pilot program tested two years ago in Oregon that tracked mileage via GPS satellite and collected taxes at filling stations is one possible route suggested in a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report."

http://theenergycollective.com/tbhurst/55373/electric-car-s-tax-free-ride-coming-end?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=The+Energy+Collective+%28all+posts%29

No kidding - why should EV drivers get a fair ride?! :D

[Drale]

1. I would hope a tax like that would be thrown down in court

as an invasion of privacy.

[kristopher]

4. How would you propose the roads be funded? Maybe we should privatize them?

I think the per mile tax is a perfectly reasonable approach to funding a needed government service - provision of roads.

[Drale]

5. So you are comfortable with them tracking you by GPS?

[kristopher]

10. Can you show me a law that proposes tracking you with GPS?

Of is it conceivable that the GPS part is largely sensationalism. Sort of like bullshit about immigrants attracts right wing readers. We all have areas of concern that are often given inappropriate emphasis by some in the popular press.

[ixion]

2. It's a Big Oil issue, Mr. Starr, and the primary reason

why we're in such dire straits in our oil dependency. :grr:

[Dawson Leery]

3. Invasion of privacy anyone?

[pa28]

6. Notice a Republican is proposing this.

He also floats the idea of an absurdly high $1.43 per mile. You wouldn't even think of buying an EV at that rate and that's probably the Senator's idea.

[al_liberal]

8. Look again.

It's $0.0143/mile not a dollar forty-three. Having said that, I think the whole idea is stupid. I would never allow a GPS device to be attached to my vehicle for government purposes. If they want me to VOLUNTARILY report my mileage every year and pay taxes on what I report, that's fine. Just like most states ask that you report everything you purchased out of state and pay taxes on those items. GPS? GTFO, it's my vehicle and I am Constitutionally mandated free travel within the US.

[pa28]

9. OK that makes more sense.

Oregonians are independent minded and I don't think they'd easily adopt the idea of GPS tracking on their cars. Hopefully this idea will die a well deserved and fast death.

[TheMadMonk]

11. Since realistically all motor vehicles should undergo an annual...

...safety check, there is no reason why mileage can't be monitored that way, though it does present the problem of a lumpsum payement.

Alternately, an RFID style device which blips off a miles travelled to the first reading station it sees on a given day. Bill monthly or quarterly. Quite conceivably it could use a dumbed down GPS device specifically fashioned to function ONLY as an oddometer.

Once per 24 hours and most likely going to hit the one closest to your home, there is very little useful surveilance information to be gleaned from such a system. Automated number plate recognition combined with traffic cameras already has far greater potential to invade individual privacy.

Or simplest of all. Attach it as a tarrif to the dedicated high capacity charge points. If you want a rapid charge you pay for it. Because their road antics have less impact on the tarmac, reward drivers with high mileage to charge ratios. Conversely, penalise drivers who do to their EVs what Clarkson did to that poor Tesla.

[Dead_Parrot]

12. That (will be) the NZ system

If the fuel isn't taxed at the pump - which includes electric and diesel here - you pay a 'road user charge' to cover what you use. It's currently about NZ4c per km, or US5c per mile: You can buy blocks of 1000km at the post office and some gas stations.

Checking the RUC against the odometer happens at services, or when you sell the car (or if you've drawn the attention of the police), but when you pay is pretty flexible... RUCs for electric vehicles are on hold until 2013, iirc.

[Skink]

7. I'd have to pay about 110 dollars a year for that.

[kestrel91316]

13. The GPS tracking is an egregious violation of privacy and unconstitutional on its face, IMHO.

An odometer check would be fine with me if they decide to tax EV's for road use. But lots of corporations and individuals and industries get a FREE RIDE in the US (as evidenced by zero taxes paid by such giants as GE and others in the news and on DU of late, and Enron a while back) without being BENEFICIAL to the environment and public health.

I happen to think we should reward EV drivers for their civic mindedness and not tax them, just like we don't tax nonsmokers for not smoking, lol.

[wtmusic]

14. Agree - I'd submit to an ODO check, similar to smog certification

combined with a fee-dividend arrangement on all carbon. EV drivers create their share of that too (indirectly).

[joshcryer]

15. Indeed, perhaps the ODO can be linked to the charging stations...

...so that it's completely transparent.

[AtheistCrusader]

16. Yeah, let's take away an incentive for people to move to this technology while it's still in the ear

ly adoption phase.

:crazy: