Poll

Electricity road tax

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13 votes were received.

YES	8		62%
NO	5		38%

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We pay a gas tax that supposedly goes for road improvements. Electric cars are getting a free ride since they use electricity to "fuel" their autos that does not carry this road repair tax. Do you think people with electric cars should pay a tax on the electricity used to charge their cars?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/14/2012 06:08AM by samintx.

Lets add the question "Should oil companies tax breaks be abolished" to level the playing field.

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Not now.

There are currently very few pure electric vehicles.

Electricity is already taxed where I live whether I drive a car with it or not.

Not at this point. There are few of them out there and it's part of the incentive to stop using gas.

Wait until the middle class and the poor can afford them.

Rich men's toys should continue to benefit from their free rides.

what percentage of road repair is funded by the gas tax?

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Then why do boats have to pay the tax? They don't use the roads. Sure I've seen waterways get paved over, but then the boats stop using them.

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You can tell a lot about a woman by her hands...
- For example, if they are wrapped around your throat she's probably slightly upset.

less and less as CAFE ratings rise
we'll ned a new system or higher rates soon enough anyway

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Ombligo
Then why do boats have to pay the tax? They don't use the roads. Sure I've seen waterways get paved over, but then the boats stop using them.

many states have a tax refund form to fill out to get the road tax portion of money back if it was collected with/ in lieu of any recreational water resources taxes.

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Kooper's Flute Thing cover

[www.freethegrapes.org]

norwegian wood reality TV

[www.youtube.com]

An excellent question, and as the discussion flow shows, the fuel tax model isn't working for America's aging infrastructure. Mostly because it was not envisioned to include a capital investment component.

FWIW... the tax on boat fuel supposedly goes towards maintaining waterways. And there's a LOT of expense there... you've never heard of locks and dams, dredging, flood control, Coast Guard, yadda yadda ? Live in a river town or a port town and you know all about it.

Finally... ask yourself this:
If it takes tax money to support roads and waterways, why don't we support the railroads the same way ?

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billb
Wait until the middle class and the poor can afford them.

Rich men's toys should continue to benefit from their free rides.

Are you talking about Land Rovers, Infinities and Escalades?

Seriously, this issue has come up in public policy circles and a solution has been to tax drivers for the number of miles they drive annually. Of course, this would probably result in another line added to an already confusing income tax form and some folks have complained that they don't want Big Government^TM knowing how many miles they put on every year.

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billb

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Ombligo
Then why do boats have to pay the tax? They don't use the roads. Sure I've seen waterways get paved over, but then the boats stop using them.

many states have a tax refund form to fill out to get the road tax portion of money back if it was collected with/ in lieu of any recreational water resources taxes.

VA does and I have benefited from it.

Aren't railroads subsidized now by the govt?

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cbelt3
An excellent question, and as the discussion flow shows, the fuel tax model isn't working for America's aging infrastructure. Mostly because it was not envisioned to include a capital investment component.

FWIW... the tax on boat fuel supposedly goes towards maintaining waterways. And there's a LOT of expense there... you've never heard of locks and dams, dredging, flood control, Coast Guard, yadda yadda ? Live in a river town or a port town and you know all about it.

Finally... ask yourself this:
If it takes tax money to support roads and waterways, why don't we support the railroads the same way ?

If revenues fall short, we could, you know, raise the gasoline tax that has been the same flat amount for decades. Amazing how our foresighted lawmakers forget so easily that inflation exists when it's politically expedient to do so. Make it a percentage, like a sales tax.

A per-mile tax really is not that bad an idea. Not perfect, but I can see the merits in a mixed-fuel fleet. What IS bad is the ridiculous solution of putting a GPS in every car. What a waste of time and money. Just report the odometer reading with your income taxes. Catch the scofflaws when the car is sold and the title is transferred.

This is the actual electric car charger at my local library. It's FREE to use. I have NEVER seen it being used.

We're paying the same per gallon tax today we paid when gasoline sold for $1.29/gal. If Congress in their wisdom had made gasoline taxes a % of the sale price rather than a flat tax, we might not be fretting about our failing infrastructure.

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Bill in NC
Not now.

There are currently very few pure electric vehicles.

Reminds of affirmative action. 40 years later, the answer to whether to end it is still "not now". Big government programs never goes away.

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RgrF
We're paying the same per gallon tax today we paid when gasoline sold for $1.29/gal. If Congress in their wisdom had made gasoline taxes a % of the sale price rather than a flat tax, we might not be fretting about our failing infrastructure.

Oil has to be found, drilled for, transported, refined, transported once again, gas stations built and finally sold. Who makes the most profit out of this enterprise with ZERO risk? Uncle Sam of course. Is there a similar investment I can put my money in?

Zero risk? Dude, we invaded an entire country to make sure the oil supply stayed stable. But I guess since your man kept the cost off the books, it doesn't count.

Exxon dosen't have to invade any country to stay in business.

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Avenger
Exxon dosen't have to invade any country to stay in business.

No, it just gets the US military to do it for them.

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the_poochies

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Avenger
Exxon dosen't have to invade any country to stay in business.

No, it just gets the US military to do it for them.

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the_poochies

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Avenger
Exxon dosen't have to invade any country to stay in business.

No, it just gets the US military to do it for them.

It would be nice if it were true. What usually happens is that we spend blood and treasure and then turn it over to the locals or other countries. What is Exxon getting out of Iraq or Libya?

If you think that there is no connection between multinational oil companies and militaries doing their bidding, you are a LOT less knowledgable than I thought (which was not much to begin with).

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So which oil company is Obama doing its bidding?

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Avenger
So which oil company is Obama doing its bidding?

Probably all of them.