No Taxation without Gas Station
By Brian Kirwin | Wednesday, June 1st, 2011 | Columns, PoliticsMy latest Daily Press column takes on the Demolition Man idea of taxing people according to how much they drive and the government tracking to verify it.
I think there’s a Brave New World’s difference between measuring energy consumption while taxing it and installing technology on a car and reporting mileage to government.
Flatly, it’s none of government’s business how much I drive, how far I drive, where I go and what I do.
Read it here.
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About the author
The right wants to jeer him. The left wants to censor him. Moderates usually want both. Brian Kirwin is a political consultant and public relations strategist in Virginia Beach with a lightning-rod flair. Brian also serves on the VB Arts & Humanities Commission and frequently appears on Hampton Roads theatrical stages, if only to prove that all actors aren’t liberals. Kirwin’s columns stir up debate and hit the political scene with no punches pulled.
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5 Responses to "No Taxation without Gas Station"
Two things-1st not all miles are equal. A heavier car puts more wear and tear on the road per mile than a lighter car. As they generally burn more gas per mile, it would be subsidizing them at the cost of lighter cars to tax everyone equally by the mile. The current system of taxing by the gallon allocates more cost to the heavier (and less fuel efficient) vehicles-the same ones that create more wear and tear.
Secondly the idea of the govt (any level) GPS tracking anyone (except perhaps criminals released early on parole) is disconcerting. If we have to go to mileage taxation it would be better simply to have a mileage check at your annual state inspection and then you would be sent a bill. That way even though the gov’t knows how much you drive they dont know where you go. Still I’d prefer to stick with taxing by the gallon and not the mile.
I agree with the sentiments expressed up to a point. It has been pointed out that many commuters with plug-in electric vehicles can almost altogether escape paying for the roads they use. I think eventually we are going to have to come up with a different (or an additional) method of collecting taxes once these vehicles become less expensive and more people start switching to them.
But the time for this has not yet arrived. For the time being, subsidizing these types of drivers is in our national interest because it helps to motivate the lessening of our dependence on foreign crude oil.
SE VA MWC Alum,
That is the point of the trucking industry. The average truck gets 6 MPG with heavier laden trucks driving down the average and lightly laden trucks getting better. Truckers are motivated to get the best fuel mileage they can to lessen both the tax burden and overall expense of fuel. (I wish to point out the there is a host of additional taxes that truckers pay that the average traveler does not and these are not dependent on their fuel economy.)
However even those driving electric cars do put a demand on the highway system because while their wear and tear might be minimal, every vehicle traveling contributes to the congestion.
But for the time being, it is in our national interest to allow these people to escape from paying their fair share. We should not be calling them tax cheats, we should be hanging medals around their necks.
Such a transponder wouldn’t give government any information on your movements that your cell phone provider doesn’t already have. In fact, your cell phone provider has more.
I can leave my cell phone at home.
Government GPS tracking of citizens movements. In a word, Hell No!
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