Originally Posted by OregonMeds

Yep it's the liberals fault, sure... We strive for more complicated ways to tax ourselves to death and vote yes on all spending all the time.

Seriously though I would vote for this because I'm sure I can find a way around it, but I can't find a way around the tax at the pump.

I have sheets of lead somewhere in the garage, wrap that transceiver up and then they'd think I was really going nowhere like a good liberal.

Originally Posted by max420thc

you stupid ass liberals. THEY HAVE A PLAN FOR YOUR DUMB ASS.they are going to attach a GPS to your car and tax you by the fucking mile...i cant wait till they put a scale at the end of the grocery store counter and tax you fat fucks by the pound.that will bankrupt all you lazy worthless non working mcdonalds eating lard ass liberals.

By-the-mile road tax could replace by-the-gallon federal fuel tax

By STEVE EVERLY

The Kansas City Star


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• Starwatch Consumer | FTC cracks down on scammers; new Angus burgers debut at McDonalds
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The year is 2020 and the gasoline tax is history. In its place you get a monthly tax bill based on each mile you drove — tracked by a Global Positioning System device in your car and uploaded to a billing center.
What once was science fiction is being field-tested by the University of Iowa to iron out the wrinkles should a by-the-mile road tax ever be enacted.
Besides the technological advances making such a tax possible, the idea is getting a hard push from a growing number of transportation experts and officials. That is because the traditional by-the-gallon fuel tax, struggling to keep up with road building and maintenance demands, could fall even farther behind as vehicles’ gas mileage rises and more alternative-fuel vehicles come on line.
The idea of shifting to a by-the-mile tax has been discussed for years, but it now appears to be getting more serious attention. A federal commission, after a two-year study, concluded earlier this year that the road tax was the “best path forward” to keep revenues flowing to highway and transportation projects, and could be an important new tool to help manage traffic and relieve congestion.
The decision by the 15-member National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission was unanimous, which surprised Robert Atkinson, the group’s chairman. But he said it became clear as the commission’s work progressed that a road tax on miles traveled was the best option.
“If you’re committed to the system being improved then it was a no-brainer,” he said.
The commission pegged 2020 as the year for the federal fuel tax, currently 18.5 cents a gallon, to be phased out and replaced by a road tax. One estimate of a road tax that would cover the current federal and state fuel taxes is 1 to 2 cents per mile for cars and light trucks.
The commission said work needed to start soon to prepare for a road tax. But more work has already been done than most people probably realize.
Oregon did a field test in 2007, concluding it was possible to collect a road tax. The University of Iowa’s Public Policy Center — with support from the Federal Highway Administration and 15 states, including Kansas and Missouri — began work a decade ago on how a road tax could be deployed.
Now the University of Iowa, with the help of a $16 million federal grant, is beginning the field test that will eventually include 2,700 vehicles in six states. The vehicles equipped with computers and GPS devices will keep track of the miles traveled and send the data through wireless technology to a billing center that will compute “simulated” tax bills.
“There is a lot of work nationally going on that is beneath the surface,” said Pete Rahn, director of the Missouri Department of Transportation.
Missouri, like the federal government and other states, has been watching revenues from the gas tax decline. Last year that revenue was down more than 3 percent, and so far this year it has declined a similar amount. The state’s highway budget was about to “hit the rocks,” he said, but federal stimulus funds gave it some breathing room.
Even when the economy recovers, the gas tax will remain under pressure.
“The Chevrolet Volt won’t pay a penny of fuel tax,” Rahn said of the electric car that will make its debut next year.
Rahn, past president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, said some states have considered implementing a road tax without waiting for the federal government to act, but a national system would probably work best.
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To reach Steve Everly, call 816-234-4455 or send e-mail to severly@kcstar.com.


A Lifestyle Tax?


Posted By: Ebone' Mone't 26 days ago

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How much are you willing to pay for your favorite soft drink?



Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are talking about taxing soda, wine and beer to help pay for healthcare.
"We're already paying extra taxes on beer, wine and liquor and cigarettes now why would we need to pay more tax," says Liquor store manager William Kniep.
The Senate Finance Committee is considering imposing a lifestyle tax on sugary, fattening soft drinks and alcohol.
"I think it's absolutely ridiculous especially after especially after both the state and federal tax that just got attached and has Marlborough Lights up to seven dollars," says Andrew Marsh, a patron at the Flying Saucer in Little Rock's River Market.
"When we pay for a soda a little bit of tax goes to our government and it's going to come back to help us in the long run," he says.
"Supporters of the tax say it would possibly slow sales of unhealthy items like this soda. While opponents, who mostly represent soft drink and alcohol companies, fear this tax could spill over to other products."
"I just have an issue with cherry picking and singling out sodas, and not taxing all the goods."
Little Rocks' Warehouse Liquor Market manager, of 30 years, says it doesn't work when the government taxes products to discourage people from buying them, he says just look at cigarettes.
"They're buying cheaper cigarettes, but I'm still buying the same amount."
However, some argue the $.56 cent cigarette sales tax hike this year is responsible for a drop in state revenue.
This week, the state announced may was the fifth of the last six months, with a drop in revenue. Still some on Capital Hill predict if people spend more at the bar, everyone will benefit from health care reform.
Arkansas' Senator Blanche Lincoln is on the Finance Committee.
Today's THV called her office to see where she stood on this matter, but she's traveling and wasn't free to comment.
As for the loss in revenue, this May the state brought in $3 million dollars less than it did last year.
The Senate Finance Committee estimates if there's not any reform soon, healthcare spending will reach nearly $4.4 trillion by 20