Talk about pay as you go.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood last week said he wants to consider replacing the current tax on a gallon of gasoline with a tax that would be based on the number of miles driven. Thankfully, the idea has met with significant public skepticism, and doesn't seem to be gaining any traction. LaHood should apply the brakes to the plan.
LaHood's valid concern is that the gasoline tax no longer can be counted on to raise the money needed to achieve its goal of funding the nation's transportation infrastructure. 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. As vehicles become more fuel efficient, and as gas prices and the economy force people to drive less, the gap between gas tax revenues and infrastructure costs is expected to widen.
Taxing people based on miles driven is not the answer.
Most importantly, it would be an impediment to the necessary shift to more fuel-efficient vehicles. Particularly when gas prices are high, the current tax can discourage drivers from filling up their gas guzzlers. The better mileage your vehicle gets, the less you pay in gasoline taxes.
Also, a mileage tax would unfairly penalize those who live in rural areas and may have to drive farther to get to and from work. It also would be a detriment to businesses that rely upon transportation.
There also are some privacy concerns. Massachusetts is working on a plan to use GPS chips in vehicles to track the number of miles driven. The Associated Press has reported that a blue-ribbon panel soon will recommend that all cars and trucks be equipped with GPS technology, transponders and clocks to show not only how many miles the car was driven but where and at what time.
The federal government has no business knowing when and where people are driving. There also would have an unnecessary high cost and an unwanted level of bureaucracy created by instituting a GPS-based tracking system.
LaHood would be better off to propose raising the gas tax, something he said he will not do during a time of economic recession. It's a politically hazardous suggestion to make, but raising the gasoline tax would aid the country in its necessary and coming shift toward fuel-efficient and electric vehicles. It would raise the money needed to bridge the transportation funding gap.
If we want good roads and bridges, and we should, the money has to come from somewhere.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood last week said he wants to consider replacing the current tax on a gallon of gasoline with a tax that would be based on the number of miles driven. Thankfully, the idea has met with significant public skepticism, and doesn't seem to be gaining any traction. LaHood should apply the brakes to the plan.
LaHood's valid concern is that the gasoline tax no longer can be counted on to raise the money needed to achieve its goal of funding the nation's transportation infrastructure. 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. As vehicles become more fuel efficient, and as gas prices and the economy force people to drive less, the gap between gas tax revenues and infrastructure costs is expected to widen.
Taxing people based on miles driven is not the answer.
Most importantly, it would be an impediment to the necessary shift to more fuel-efficient vehicles. Particularly when gas prices are high, the current tax can discourage drivers from filling up their gas guzzlers. The better mileage your vehicle gets, the less you pay in gasoline taxes.
Also, a mileage tax would unfairly penalize those who live in rural areas and may have to drive farther to get to and from work. It also would be a detriment to businesses that rely upon transportation.
There also are some privacy concerns. Massachusetts is working on a plan to use GPS chips in vehicles to track the number of miles driven. The Associated Press has reported that a blue-ribbon panel soon will recommend that all cars and trucks be equipped with GPS technology, transponders and clocks to show not only how many miles the car was driven but where and at what time.
The federal government has no business knowing when and where people are driving. There also would have an unnecessary high cost and an unwanted level of bureaucracy created by instituting a GPS-based tracking system.
LaHood would be better off to propose raising the gas tax, something he said he will not do during a time of economic recession. It's a politically hazardous suggestion to make, but raising the gasoline tax would aid the country in its necessary and coming shift toward fuel-efficient and electric vehicles. It would raise the money needed to bridge the transportation funding gap.
If we want good roads and bridges, and we should, the money has to come from somewhere.
