TheHill.com: CBO: Taxing mileage a 'practical option' for revenue enhancement

[Nerm]

I drive an SUV that consumes a lot of gas and I think we should just raise the gas tax if we need more in the Highway Trust Fund. No new overhead costs and it rewards less gas consumption. The Fund collects about $40 billion a year now. If the government needs $92 billion a year to maintain and expand our transit systems just raise the gas tax more than double to make up the difference. This would reward drivers of higher mileage cars, punishes those of us who driving gas guzzlers, and would quickly reduce our consumption of oil as consumers bought vehicles that consume less gas.

Eventually, when receipts start to fall significantly because we are consuming a lot less gas, we can start taxing electric and hydrogen vehicles at whatever rate is needed to make up the difference in falling receipts.

I agree with this as well. I like the gas tax as a way of funding roads and encouraging the transition to more fuel efficient cars. When we get to the point that people are buying a lot less gas, we can reevaluate how to fund the highways.

[Thiebear]

I would agree with taxing oil out of existence "After" we have a viable alternative that is located in more than 200,000 locations across america.

Only having access to 30 sites down the PCH is not helpful to those in OBX.

SO we should go biodesiel and Fast food consumption becomes law.

It fixes Medicare and SS and Foreign dependability on oil. win/win?

[NavyDave]

Liberals in both parties thought about this initially in the people republic of Calif when fears of reduced Gas Tax booty err revenue could happen if a large segment of the tree hugger demographic there bought and drove Hybrids and more fuel efficient vehicles.

I like this idea. Its a great way to identify those who agree with this nonsense before 2012 elections since the pro mileage taxers will have a difficult time explaining what the stimulus money for roads, highways and bridges went to without admitting waste and a election campaign slush fund.

---------- Post added March-27th-2011 at 10:58 AM ----------

Next up an increase in taking a dump tax. 50 cent a flush sounds fair