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Getbig Main Boards => Politics and Political Issues Board => Topic started by: Soul Crusher on February 20, 2009, 04:13:10 AM
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Obama’s Transportation Secretary Eyes Mileage Tax on American Motorists
Friday, February 20, 2009
By Joan Lowy, Associated Press
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is interviewed by The Associated Press on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2009, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)Washington (AP) - Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says he wants to consider taxing motorists based on how many miles they drive rather than how much gasoline they burn -- an idea that has angered drivers in some states where it has been proposed.
Gasoline taxes that for nearly half a century have paid for the federal share of highway and bridge construction can no longer be counted on to raise enough money to keep the nation's transportation system moving, LaHood said in an interview with The Associated Press.
"We should look at the vehicular miles program where people are actually clocked on the number of miles that they traveled," the former Illinois Republican lawmaker said.
Most transportation experts see a vehicle miles traveled tax as a long-term solution, but Congress is being urged to move in that direction now by funding pilot projects.
The idea also is gaining ground in several states. Governors in Idaho and Rhode Island are talking about such programs, and a North Carolina panel suggested in December the state start charging motorists a quarter-cent for every mile as a substitute for the gas tax.
A tentative plan in Massachusetts to use GPS chips in vehicles to charge motorists by the mile has drawn complaints from drivers who say it's an Orwellian intrusion by government into the lives of citizens. Other motorists say it eliminates an incentive to drive more fuel-efficient cars since gas guzzlers will be taxed at the same rate as fuel sippers.
Besides a VMT tax, more tolls for highways and bridges and more government partnerships with business to finance transportation projects are other funding options, LaHood, one of two Republicans in President Barack Obama's Cabinet, said in the interview Thursday.
"What I see this administration doing is this -- thinking outside the box on how we fund our infrastructure in America," he said.
LaHood said he firmly opposes raising the federal gasoline tax in the current recession.
(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)The program that funds the federal share of highway projects is part of a surface transportation law that expires Sept. 30. Last fall, Congress made an emergency infusion of $8 billion to make up for a shortfall between gas tax revenues and the amount of money promised to states for their projects. 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.
"One of the things I think everyone agrees with around reauthorization of the highway bill is that the highway trust fund is an antiquated system for funding our highways," LaHood said. "It did work to build the interstate system and it was very effective, there's no question about that. But the big question now is, We're into the 21st century and how are we going to take care of our infrastructure needs ... with a highway trust fund that had to be plused up by $8 billion by Congress last year?"
A blue-ribbon national transportation commission is expected to release a report next week recommending a VMT.
The system would require all cars and trucks be equipped with global satellite positioning technology, a transponder, a clock and other equipment to record how many miles a vehicle was driven, whether it was driven on highways or secondary roads, and even whether it was driven during peak traffic periods or off-peak hours.
The device would tally how much tax motorists owed depending upon their road use. Motorists would pay the amount owed when it was downloaded, probably at gas stations at first, but an alternative eventually would be needed.
Rob Atkinson, president of the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission, the agency that is developing future transportation funding options, said moving to a national VMT would take about a decade.
Privacy concerns are based more on perception than any actual risk, Atkinson said. The satellite information would be beamed one way to the car and driving information would be contained within the device on the car, with the amount of the tax due the only information that's downloaded, he said.
The devices also could be programmed to charge higher rates to vehicles that are heavier, like trucks that put more stress on roadways, Atkinson said.
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HOPE & CHANGE BITCHES!!!!
OBAMA is truly racing us to a depression. If people think they are taxed per mile, they will not drive and engage in commerce.
This marxist is seriously going to cause a revolt.
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Obama’s Transportation Secretary Eyes Mileage Tax on American Motorists
Friday, February 20, 2009
By Joan Lowy, Associated Press
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is interviewed by The Associated Press on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2009, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)Washington (AP) - Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says he wants to consider taxing motorists based on how many miles they drive rather than how much gasoline they burn -- an idea that has angered drivers in some states where it has been proposed.
Gasoline taxes that for nearly half a century have paid for the federal share of highway and bridge construction can no longer be counted on to raise enough money to keep the nation's transportation system moving, LaHood said in an interview with The Associated Press.
"We should look at the vehicular miles program where people are actually clocked on the number of miles that they traveled," the former Illinois Republican lawmaker said.
Most transportation experts see a vehicle miles traveled tax as a long-term solution, but Congress is being urged to move in that direction now by funding pilot projects.
The idea also is gaining ground in several states. Governors in Idaho and Rhode Island are talking about such programs, and a North Carolina panel suggested in December the state start charging motorists a quarter-cent for every mile as a substitute for the gas tax.
A tentative plan in Massachusetts to use GPS chips in vehicles to charge motorists by the mile has drawn complaints from drivers who say it's an Orwellian intrusion by government into the lives of citizens. Other motorists say it eliminates an incentive to drive more fuel-efficient cars since gas guzzlers will be taxed at the same rate as fuel sippers.
Besides a VMT tax, more tolls for highways and bridges and more government partnerships with business to finance transportation projects are other funding options, LaHood, one of two Republicans in President Barack Obama's Cabinet, said in the interview Thursday.
"What I see this administration doing is this -- thinking outside the box on how we fund our infrastructure in America," he said.
LaHood said he firmly opposes raising the federal gasoline tax in the current recession.
(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)The program that funds the federal share of highway projects is part of a surface transportation law that expires Sept. 30. Last fall, Congress made an emergency infusion of $8 billion to make up for a shortfall between gas tax revenues and the amount of money promised to states for their projects. 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.
"One of the things I think everyone agrees with around reauthorization of the highway bill is that the highway trust fund is an antiquated system for funding our highways," LaHood said. "It did work to build the interstate system and it was very effective, there's no question about that. But the big question now is, We're into the 21st century and how are we going to take care of our infrastructure needs ... with a highway trust fund that had to be plused up by $8 billion by Congress last year?"
A blue-ribbon national transportation commission is expected to release a report next week recommending a VMT.
The system would require all cars and trucks be equipped with global satellite positioning technology, a transponder, a clock and other equipment to record how many miles a vehicle was driven, whether it was driven on highways or secondary roads, and even whether it was driven during peak traffic periods or off-peak hours.
The device would tally how much tax motorists owed depending upon their road use. Motorists would pay the amount owed when it was downloaded, probably at gas stations at first, but an alternative eventually would be needed.
Rob Atkinson, president of the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission, the agency that is developing future transportation funding options, said moving to a national VMT would take about a decade.
Privacy concerns are based more on perception than any actual risk, Atkinson said. The satellite information would be beamed one way to the car and driving information would be contained within the device on the car, with the amount of the tax due the only information that's downloaded, he said.
The devices also could be programmed to charge higher rates to vehicles that are heavier, like trucks that put more stress on roadways, Atkinson said.
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Do you have a link for this article?
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I cannot go for this SHIT...
and yes, please provide a link.
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I cannot go for this SHIT...
and yes, please provide a link.
http://www.freep.com/article/20090220/BUSINESS01/90220017/Transit+chief+eyes+tax+on+miles+driven
This is an AP Article from Detroit Free Press. Check it out.
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I cannot go for this SHIT...
and yes, please provide a link.
Another link:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/feb/20/ap-interview-lahood-eyes-taxing-miles-driven/
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I can't go for this kind of pure SHIT. They can fuck the hell off and I'll shove that GPS unit right up the fuckers ass that gets near my car with it.
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I can't go for this kind of pure SHIT. They can fuck the hell off and I'll shove that GPS unit right up the fuckers ass that gets near my car with it.
I told people before the election that this was going to be a disaster and no one wanted to listen. Look, McCain sucked, but he would not have pushed this garbage.
Even you probably would have to agree that the first step is to get the GOP to at least get control of the House of Reps to slow this garbage down.
There needs to be checks and balances.
One party controlling all three branches is just awful.
________________________ ____
WTC
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This is getting out of hand. Let some dipshit get near my car with a GOVERNMENT GPS device. I guess I better get prepared to go to jail.
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I can't go for this kind of pure SHIT. They can fuck the hell off and I'll shove that GPS unit right up the fuckers ass that gets near my car with it.
FROM THE ARTICLE:
The system would require all cars and trucks be equipped with global satellite positioning technology, a transponder, a clock and other equipment to record how many miles a vehicle was driven, whether it was driven on highways or secondary roads, and even whether it was driven during peak traffic periods or off-peak hours.
1984, Big Brother, Nanny State, Orwell, Twilight Zone, etc.
________________________ __
WTC
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I told people before the election that this was going to be a disaster and no one wanted to listen. Look, McCain sucked, but he would not have pushed this garbage.
Even you probably would have to agree that the first step is to get the GOP to at least get control of the House of Reps to slow this garbage down.
There needs to be checks and balances.
One party controlling all three branches is just awful.
________________________ ____
WTC
That's where I think, I'm sorry, I know you're dead ass wrong. All this crap is coming down regardless of party. The same shittwit companies lobbying to do this shit would still be there getting the things they wanted. Maybe with a different twist or with a different order of introduction but still coming down the line one way or another. The same people who have wacked goals for global governance or NWO and the people's every move watched are still there getting their way in one order of introduction or another. So sorry, you're wrong on that.
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Its not a solution, but at least a temporary break from the speed at which they are pushing things right now.
To start, I think we need a 10 million taxpayer march on DC.
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The best thing that can happen is to have dems, republican and independent voters willing to not just follow the leader but get together behind opposing ideas that are bad AS WELL as supporting ideas that are good. The failure for the people to do that is what's going to screw us.
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The best thing that can happen is to have dems, republican and independent voters willing to not just follow the leader but get together behind opposing ideas that are bad AS WELL as supporting ideas that are good. The failure for the people to do that is what's going to screw us.
Look, most people I know just are not concerned and dont pay attention until its too late.
They focus on sports, Idol, etc.
Please, my friends think I make shit up when I tell them what is going on. The next question always is, "where are we going to watch the game."
Marx was wrong! Sports is the oppiute of the masses.
If you want to change shit, end sports programming on tv.
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Look, most people I know just are not concerned and dont pay attention until its too late.
They focus on sports, Idol, etc.
Please, my friends think I make shit up when I tell them what is going on. The next question always is, "where are we going to watch the game."
Marx was wrong! Sports is the oppiute of the masses.
If you want to change shit, end sports programming on tv.
same thing has happend to me for so many years I've lost track. And many people here are guilty of it too. Ozmo use to mock me for saying the country is headed toward an orwellian state. These things happen in increments. I bet when we are fully in an orwellian state, there will be no shortage of people saying we're not. It will have crept up on them like a frog in slowly heated water.
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same thing has happend to me for so many years I've lost track. And many people here are guilty of it too. Ozmo use to mock me for saying the country is headed toward an orwellian state. These things happen in increments. I bet when we are fully in an orwellian state, there will be no shortage of people saying we're not. It will have crept up on them like a frog in slowly heated water.
These politicians are not that dumb. They know the code words and know not to come right out and say certain things.
Instead, they use code language that people like you or me can pick up on, but that the average moron sucker fantasy football moron is oblivious to.
It is very distressing.
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I can't go for this kind of pure SHIT. They can fuck the hell off and I'll shove that GPS unit right up the fuckers ass that gets near my car with it.
obama will come back and say, "this helps you get to places faster and more efficient"
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obama will come back and say, "this helps you get to places faster and more efficient"
I warned everyone and was laughed at.
We are on the fast track to tyranny, big brother, 1984, orwell, nanny state.
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I warned everyone and was laughed at.
We are on the fast track to tyranny, big brother, 1984, orwell, nanny state.
we'll be laughed at for this thread, or just ignored.
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What I find most upsetting is that I know a lot of people who either refuse to believe this stuff is going on, or are more satisfied knowing that the college b-ball game is on.
I really dont know what more it will take.
Tyranny in this country is a process, not an event.
_________________
WTC
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Change !!!!!!! :o :o :o
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Change !!!!!!! :o :o :o
I BEAT DRUDGE ON THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
________________________ ____________
WTC (WORSE THAN CARTER)
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BEAT DRUDGE ON THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The only excuse these Obama lovers can come up with now, is that McCain would have done the same.
Which is Bullshit !
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I said all along, McCain was bad, but OBAMA was unthinkable.
Heck, I am blasted daily over my liking Palin.
I know she would never push this Big Brother/1984 garbage.
________________________ ________
WTC
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I can't go for this kind of pure SHIT. They can fuck the hell off and I'll shove that GPS unit right up the fuckers ass that gets near my car with it.
Stop right there comrade, give Obama more time to show us what he's got yeah, just like you said in the other thread moaning about everyone is on his case already!
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Stop right there comrade, give Obama more time to show us what he's got yeah, just like you said in the other thread moaning about everyone is on his case already!
KRS One was right.
OBAMA IS THE BLACK FACE ON THE NWO!
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This is bullshit. We have to put our gov in check here. no its not all democrats, but there are far more dems that support (and often propose) these kind of initiatives. We gotta be united in opposing crap like this. They must learn to spend less and get back to budgets.
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This is bullshit. We have to put our gov in check here. no its not all democrats, but there are far more dems that support (and often propose) these kind of initiatives. We gotta be united in opposing crap like this. They must learn to spend less and get back to budgets.
Like I always say, the GOP is horrible, but the democrats are worse.
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Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!
I bet he is going to spout something like this creating 20 million new jobs.
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HAHAHAHAA
LOVE IT FOOLS!
YOU WANTED IT! YOU GOT IT!
NOW BLEED FOR IT BABY!
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1776 coming again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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FROM THE ARTICLE:
The system would require all cars and trucks be equipped with global satellite positioning technology, a transponder, a clock and other equipment to record how many miles a vehicle was driven, whether it was driven on highways or secondary roads, and even whether it was driven during peak traffic periods or off-peak hours.
1984, Big Brother, Nanny State, Orwell, Twilight Zone, etc.
________________________ __
WTC
Wait untill they want to put a chip in you as a precaution for your "childs or your own safety".
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That's where I think, I'm sorry, I know you're dead ass wrong. All this crap is coming down regardless of party. The same shittwit companies lobbying to do this shit would still be there getting the things they wanted. Maybe with a different twist or with a different order of introduction but still coming down the line one way or another. The same people who have wacked goals for global governance or NWO and the people's every move watched are still there getting their way in one order of introduction or another. So sorry, you're wrong on that.
You could have voted for that old crazy man from Texas.
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Wait untill they want to put a chip in you as a precaution for your "childs or your own safety".
240 will be fine with that, Benny will be fine with that.
Obama could stick a plunger up their ass they would not care.
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240 will be fine with that, Benny will be fine with that.
Obama could stick a plunger up their ass they would not care.
As long as that plunger has a fart/Co2 gauge on it, they'll be happy to do their part in helping America go green.
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As long as that plunger has a fart/Co2 gauge on it, they'll be happy to do their part in helping America go green.
;D
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HAHAHAHAA
LOVE IT FOOLS!
YOU WANTED IT! YOU GOT IT!
NOW BLEED FOR IT BABY!
I'm going to laugh so hard if you think this crap orwellian shit wouldn't be coming down the shoot in some fashion under McCain... Please don't tell me you think that...
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maybe under McCain but definitely not under most (real) conservatives.
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I'm going to laugh so hard if you think this crap orwellian shit wouldn't be coming down the shoot in some fashion under McCain... Please don't tell me you think that...
I have to agree with you there Hugo. It's just McCain said at the memorial roast "Whichever one of us is elected, ...we will follow our marching orders."
The advantage for those giving the orders is that an Obama presidency provides the general populace with a sense of hopefulness and patience. Under Bush/McCain, they were on the verge of another rebellion.
Hugo, do you think this could be a trial balloon of some sort?
It's an AP story, ...let's see how many news orgs pick up on it, and make it their lead in their newscasts,
...and of those who do, ...what the public reaction is to it?
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Someone at work told me this was on mainstream radio this AM. I haven't watched any TV yet today. This idea will flop. Americans will be mostly united against this...if the politicians listen!
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maybe under McCain but definitely not under most (real) conservatives.
what are the chances of a real conservative being elected? ;)
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Yeah, I don't know anymore Hugo.
I'd take a conservative democrat too.
Anyone that can stop this big government, big spending train we've been on for years.
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Yeah, I don't know anymore Hugo.
I'd take a conservative democrat too.
Anyone that can stop this big government, big spending train we've been on for years.
I would just be happy to have the psycho element go away.
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Obama’s Transportation Secretary Eyes Mileage Tax on American Motorists
Friday, February 20, 2009
By Joan Lowy, Associated Press
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is interviewed by The Associated Press on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2009, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)Washington (AP) - Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says he wants to consider taxing motorists based on how many miles they drive rather than how much gasoline they burn -- an idea that has angered drivers in some states where it has been proposed.
Gasoline taxes that for nearly half a century have paid for the federal share of highway and bridge construction can no longer be counted on to raise enough money to keep the nation's transportation system moving, LaHood said in an interview with The Associated Press.
"We should look at the vehicular miles program where people are actually clocked on the number of miles that they traveled," the former Illinois Republican lawmaker said.
Most transportation experts see a vehicle miles traveled tax as a long-term solution, but Congress is being urged to move in that direction now by funding pilot projects.
The idea also is gaining ground in several states. Governors in Idaho and Rhode Island are talking about such programs, and a North Carolina panel suggested in December the state start charging motorists a quarter-cent for every mile as a substitute for the gas tax.
A tentative plan in Massachusetts to use GPS chips in vehicles to charge motorists by the mile has drawn complaints from drivers who say it's an Orwellian intrusion by government into the lives of citizens. Other motorists say it eliminates an incentive to drive more fuel-efficient cars since gas guzzlers will be taxed at the same rate as fuel sippers.
Besides a VMT tax, more tolls for highways and bridges and more government partnerships with business to finance transportation projects are other funding options, LaHood, one of two Republicans in President Barack Obama's Cabinet, said in the interview Thursday.
"What I see this administration doing is this -- thinking outside the box on how we fund our infrastructure in America," he said.
LaHood said he firmly opposes raising the federal gasoline tax in the current recession.
(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)The program that funds the federal share of highway projects is part of a surface transportation law that expires Sept. 30. Last fall, Congress made an emergency infusion of $8 billion to make up for a shortfall between gas tax revenues and the amount of money promised to states for their projects. 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.
"One of the things I think everyone agrees with around reauthorization of the highway bill is that the highway trust fund is an antiquated system for funding our highways," LaHood said. "It did work to build the interstate system and it was very effective, there's no question about that. But the big question now is, We're into the 21st century and how are we going to take care of our infrastructure needs ... with a highway trust fund that had to be plused up by $8 billion by Congress last year?"
A blue-ribbon national transportation commission is expected to release a report next week recommending a VMT.
The system would require all cars and trucks be equipped with global satellite positioning technology, a transponder, a clock and other equipment to record how many miles a vehicle was driven, whether it was driven on highways or secondary roads, and even whether it was driven during peak traffic periods or off-peak hours.
The device would tally how much tax motorists owed depending upon their road use. Motorists would pay the amount owed when it was downloaded, probably at gas stations at first, but an alternative eventually would be needed.
Rob Atkinson, president of the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission, the agency that is developing future transportation funding options, said moving to a national VMT would take about a decade.
Privacy concerns are based more on perception than any actual risk, Atkinson said. The satellite information would be beamed one way to the car and driving information would be contained within the device on the car, with the amount of the tax due the only information that's downloaded, he said.
The devices also could be programmed to charge higher rates to vehicles that are heavier, like trucks that put more stress on roadways, Atkinson said.
________________________ ________________________ ____
HOPE & CHANGE BITCHES!!!!
OBAMA is truly racing us to a depression. If people think they are taxed per mile, they will not drive and engage in commerce.
This marxist is seriously going to cause a revolt.
:o You gotta be kidding me. Absolutely opposed to this.
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Guys, this is real...right from Obama's secretary of transportation. Thankfully the spokesperson for the administration said it wouldn't be a part of Obama's agenda (its political suicide IMO). Look at the other scary ideas too!
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"President Obama's transportation department slapped down a suggestion by its own secretary Friday that the government tax motorists based on how many miles they drive rather than how much gasoline they burn.
Secretary Ray LaHood floated the idea in an interview with The Associated Press.
Gasoline taxes for nearly half a century have paid for the federal share of highway and bridge construction, but LaHood said they can no longer be counted on to raise enough money to keep the nation's transportation system moving.
"We should look at the vehicular miles program where people are actually clocked on the number of miles that they traveled," the former Illinois Republican lawmaker said.
Asked about the claim, transportation department spokeswoman Lori Irving immediately shot it down.
"The policy of taxing motorists based on how many miles they have traveled is not and will not be Obama administration policy," she said.
The mileage tax idea has already angered drivers in some states where it has been proposed.
However, most transportation experts see a vehicle miles traveled tax as a long-term solution, though Congress is being urged to move in that direction now by funding pilot projects.
The idea also is gaining ground in several states. Governors in Idaho and Rhode Island are talking about such programs, and a North Carolina panel suggested in December the state start charging motorists a quarter-cent for every mile as a substitute for the gas tax.
A tentative plan in Massachusetts to use GPS chips in vehicles to charge motorists by the mile has drawn complaints from drivers who say it's an Orwellian intrusion by government into the lives of citizens. Other motorists say it eliminates an incentive to drive more fuel-efficient cars since gas guzzlers will be taxed at the same rate as fuel sippers.
Besides a VMT tax, more tolls for highways and bridges and more government partnerships with business to finance transportation projects are other funding options, "What I see this administration doing is this -- thinking outside the box on how we fund our infrastructure in America," LaHood said.
LaHood said he firmly opposes raising the federal gasoline tax in the current recession.
The program that funds the federal share of highway projects is part of a surface transportation law that expires Sept. 30. Last fall, Congress made an emergency infusion of $8 billion to make up for a shortfall between gas tax revenues and the amount of money promised to states for their projects. 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.
The mileage system would require all cars and trucks be equipped with global satellite positioning technology, a transponder, a clock and other equipment to record how many miles a vehicle was driven, whether it was driven on highways or secondary roads, and even whether it was driven during peak traffic periods or off-peak hours.
The device would tally how much tax motorists owed depending upon their road use. Motorists would pay the amount owed when it was downloaded, probably at gas stations at first, but an alternative eventually would be needed.
Rob Atkinson, president of the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission, the agency that is developing future transportation funding options, said moving to a national VMT would take about a decade."
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Guys, this is real...right from Obama's secretary of transportation. Thankfully the spokesperson for the administration said it wouldn't be a part of Obama's agenda (its political suicide IMO). Look at the other scary ideas too!
----------------------------
"President Obama's transportation department slapped down a suggestion by its own secretary Friday that the government tax motorists based on how many miles they drive rather than how much gasoline they burn.
Secretary Ray LaHood floated the idea in an interview with The Associated Press.
Gasoline taxes for nearly half a century have paid for the federal share of highway and bridge construction, but LaHood said they can no longer be counted on to raise enough money to keep the nation's transportation system moving.
"We should look at the vehicular miles program where people are actually clocked on the number of miles that they traveled," the former Illinois Republican lawmaker said.
Asked about the claim, transportation department spokeswoman Lori Irving immediately shot it down.
"The policy of taxing motorists based on how many miles they have traveled is not and will not be Obama administration policy," she said.
The mileage tax idea has already angered drivers in some states where it has been proposed.
However, most transportation experts see a vehicle miles traveled tax as a long-term solution, though Congress is being urged to move in that direction now by funding pilot projects.
Just as I thought, ...it was a trial balloon. They will float more & more of these until both they & the public feel the only viable solution is to tax polluters who don't reduce their vehicular emissions. These new taxes will manifest in the form of fines... extremely severe fines.
This is two-fold. It'll stimulate the economy because there will be companies springing up to sell various bolt-on units (urea containers, urea pumps, etc) which they hope people (transportation industry fleets) will line up to get.