What do all you CA drivers think of this plan?

[Darkbeer]

Originally Posted by Moonliner

Now that's a much better point. However if you keep the gas tax and add a milage tax, you still stick it to the SUV's but also have enough money to keep the roads up.

So now you want to raise taxes on EVERYONE!!!!!

Right now, the California government is raiding the Gasoline Tax funds, and have been for years... And to me that is the Democrats in charge, Gov. GrayOut and Gov. Terminator, they all should get their hands out of the cookie jar, and spend the money where it should be spent.. Transporation! As in roads, freeways and promoting public transit.

If they don't get there act together soon, I can see a new petition that will force the state to use gasoline taxes on roads, and not other programs thru the general fund...

[Ghoulish Delight]

Uuh.

Officials in car-clogged California are so worried they may be considering a replacement for the gas tax altogether, replacing it with something called "tax by the mile."

[Moonliner]

Sorry, that's just fluff created by the reporter that wrote the article. Not an official statment.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Do you have something supporting this supposed "supplement" claim? I've heard about this several times and have ALWAYS heard it referred to as a replacement.

[Moonliner]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

Do you have something supporting this supposed "supplement" claim? I've heard about this several times and have ALWAYS heard it referred to as a replacement.

That's just personal opinion based on the fact that goverments vary rarely give up a tax.

So how would YOU fix the problem? It is a real problem. Less money for road maintence.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by Moonliner

That's just personal opinion based on the fact that goverments vary rarely give up a tax.

So how would YOU fix the problem? It is a real problem. Less money for road maintence.

Like I said, as little sense as just having the mileage tax makes, having both makes even less. Why create a new tax with a heafty pricetag to implement (installing the transmitters on all cars, installing receivers on all gas pumps for starters) when they can just raise the existing tax?

As for what to do to fix it, if it really is a problem, then either raise the existing tax, or better yet, like Darkbeer said, improve spending accountability. The mileage tax will do nothing but reverse any progress made towards conservation.

[Moonliner]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

Like I said, as little sense as just having the mileage tax makes, having both makes even less. Why create a new tax with a heafty pricetag to implement (installing the transmitters on all cars, installing receivers on all gas pumps for starters) when they can just raise the existing tax?

As for what to do to fix it, if it really is a problem, then either raise the existing tax, or better yet, like Darkbeer said, improve spending accountability. The mileage tax will do nothing but reverse any progress made towards conservation.

Which brings us back to the "poison pill" statement I made early on.

As the number of hybrids grow you are going to have to keep raising that gas tax. Eventually it will get so high that most people will be forced into some type of hybrid/fuel cell or whatever.

[Darkbeer]

Originally Posted by Moonliner

So how would YOU fix the problem? It is a real problem. Less money for road maintence.

First thing, spend the gas tax on Transporation (as mentioned earlier).

Then the first thing I would do is remove all automatic increases in the general state budget. That is a major budget issue for years.

Right now, we are spending more than we bring in. And just like if you or I get less income (such as less hours in your job, having to switch to a new company, etc.), what do we do, we tighten our belt.

That is what the state needs to do. Stop the borrowing, and cut the fat. Yes, some hard decisions would have to be made, but that is just a fact of life.

Right now, I am expected to give 32 cents a gallon to the state, plus another 16 cents or so in sales tax (based on $2 a gallon). The Gas Tax money (32 cents) should be spent on Transportation. Sales tax goes to the general fund...

So right now, about a third of the cost of gas is taxes (66.4 cents = 32 cents to the state in gas taxes, 18 cents in Fed taxes and 16 cents in Sales tax)... and now you want to add ANOTHER tax....

Be prepared for the link to the newest petition!!!!!

[mousepod]

I'm siding with Darkbeer on this one.
Moonliner, the one hole in your argument (for me, at least) is that you ignore the fact that people who bought Hummers and SUVs knew exactly what they were getting into when they made their purchase, just like the folks that bought hybrids.
Luxury costs, plain and simple. It's not a liberal thing or a conservative thing, it's an American thing. And it's not a bad thing.
I consider myself slightly left of center on most issues, yet I was incredibly incensed when people here in SF were defacing SUVs in The Mission district.
I don't think there's anything wrong with buying "nice things", just don't go all socialist when you realize you have to pay for the privilege of owning them.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Heck, there's no point in just making it a supplement. Why not just raise the existing gas tax? This seems completely superflous if they just want extra tax flow, what with the expense of setting the system up.