How to tax an electric

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smace
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How to tax an electric

I have been wondering how the electric's would wind up being taxed. Here is a link to an idea meant for ICE's but would work for electric too :(

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/nation/story/71078.html

reikiman
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Re: How to tax an electric

Exactly.. The issue is roads are paid for from fuel taxes (in the U.S.). If a car doesn't burn gasoline the driver of that car isn't paying for the construction and maintenance of the road. I've seen multiple articles of biodiesel advocates being arrested for nonpayment of road taxes.

The nice thing about fuel taxes is they're roughly equal to a per-mile tax. The more fuel one burns the more miles driven. And I bet you don't even notice the tax in the fuel cost, right? Well unless yer one of them anti-tax people. Maybe it would be better to call it a "road use fee" rather than tax and it wouldn't incite anti-tax people into rage.

That kind of gizmo would involve sensors along the road to read identifying transponders off the cars as they pass by. It means that government computers would be tracking every car on every mile of driving. While it would be a way to collect road use fees it also smells strongly of big brother.

MikeB
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Re: How to tax an electric

If the government is going to start a per-mile tax, I think it's mandatory that they use vehicle weight-class to set the rates. Clearly, a small scooter is going to cause a billionth of the wear and tear on the highway of a large loaded semi-tractor trailer. Heavier vehicles should pay a significantly higher tax rate.

My electric vehicle: CuMoCo C130 scooter.

smace
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Re: How to tax an electric

In some states (maybe all?) the tag fee is weight based already. If we use your porposal, it might allow for a redo of the entire carn tax structure.Flat rate for the yearly tag fee, the "milage tax" based on weight, time of day and place you drive. But then again, when has a tax been eliminated?
If you run on a a toll road with a a transponder, they alredy know when/where you are.

medman1952
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Re: How to tax an electric

Advocate a use tax and the politicians will certainly be glad to charge you as much as you pay for gasoline now in that tax. A use tax would be a god send to the State of Kalifornia, just think, instead of the I don't know what it is but about 60 cents a gallon, place a equivalent in amount spent on almost $3.00 a gallon for a use tax and the spend spend spend people would be so very happy and yes they would do that. you would no longer be paying a few cents to go to work, it would be back up to a few dollars for a few miles.

Am I anti tax? well yes and no. Taxes spent wisely can be a good thing but we elect people to spend money on things we want and it is rarely where it really needs to go, and never spent in a frugal manner.

I'd like to add that I was once the chairperson of a State employees union and spent a lot of time in Sacramento negotiating our contract. I went to Sacramento having one impression of how our elected officials are and came back with an entirely different view. I learned that there are no perceivable honest people in either party and there are no judges that deserve the privilege of being referred to as "Your Honor". Our political system is nearly as corrupt as any third world nations is.

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