GPS Tax Should Go Nowhere
Posted by Will Shaver on 02 Jan 2009 at 12:54 pm | Tagged as: Life
As submitted to the R-G on January 2nd.
Governor Kulongoski has recently been pushing a GPS-based mileage tax to replace Oregon’s existing gasoline tax for road funds. This proposal is directly against Kulongoski’s “cleaner, greener lives” goals, adds taxes that do not increase road funds, ignores out of state drivers, and has serious privacy concerns.
In Kulongoski’s own words, “climate change is the most important environmental and economic issue of our time.” Any reduction in fossil fuel use should be rewarded, not punished. Why propose a $5,000 credit for buying electric and plug-in hybrid cars, only to tax it away?
Taxing based on GPS would require installation of specialized equipment for every car in Oregon. It would also require infrastructure and additional staffing, all costing tax payers and car buyers. These added taxes won’t improve roads, but are a tax paid solely to support paying taxes.
Kulongoski assures us that the day to day positioning data will not be collected. We were also assured that social security numbers would only be used by the Social Security Administration, and warrants would always be required for phone tapping.
I appreciate having quality roads to drive on, and understand that taxes are required to build them. To that end, I offer a counter proposal – a massive increase on the existing gas tax. Current Oregon gas prices of approximately $1.70 are way off the summer high of $4.28. An added .40c per gallon tax would still be less than half what drivers paid this summer.
Excellent comment Will but I question the need to add additional taxes. The price of gas will go back up and the Dim’s in power at the moment are excitedly eyeing a fed increase. When gas goes back up as it will we will be stuck with not only the higher gas prices but the higher taxes both from the state and feds.
I think a better approach would be to find out exactly how much money the state is getting now and exactly how it is spent, or should I say wasted.
In my opinion more money to them would equal more money up for waste.
Allowing the government to know my whereabouts at any given time sounds like very bad times. My libertarian soul is dying just a little bit.
And I thought we were in trouble here in Arizona with a governor who is on her way to join Obama’s team as Secretary of Homeland Security. In her final speech (State of the State Address) here she didn’t mention the borders once!
I liked your tax idea and your logical counter to such off the wall ideas. I think Kulengoski needs to rethink what he has proposed. Perhaps letters like yours will help him do just that!
Grandma K.