On first glance it seems rediculous to go from taxing gasoline by the gallon to taxing miles driven because, as posters above have said, that is a
disincentive to driving more fuel efficient cars.
But the reason stated for moving to a VMT (vehicle miles traveled) tax in the future is stated in the article.
The gap between money raised by the gas tax and the cost of maintaining the nation's highway system and expanding it to accommodate population
growth is forecast to continue to widen.
Among the reasons for the gap is a switch to more fuel-efficient cars and a decrease in driving that many transportation experts believe is related to
the economic downturn. Electric cars and alternative-fuel vehicles that don't use gasoline are expected to start penetrating the market in greater
numbers.
A blue-ribbon national transportation commission is expected to release a report next week recommending a VMT.
I seriously doubt that there enough electric/hybrid cars on the road right now (and probably wont be in the near future) to justify the switch,
though.
Not to mention that monitoring my car's mileage is intrusive in the extreme.
A tax on electricity/hydrogen batteries/whatever at point of purchase, like the gasoline tax, seems a lot simpler anyway.
[edit on 20-2-2009 by Tuning Spork]
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