Oregon's GPS Mileage Tax Encourages Bad Habits: Analysis

[andrewjs18]

This is just insane.........


http://www.popularmechanics.com/blog...s/4298625.html


by Glenn Reynolds

Big Brother used to to just watch you. Now some people in Oregon are worrying that he might start taxing you, too.

Oregon's Governor, Ted Kulongoski, wants the legislature to authorize a mileage tax on Oregon vehicles, one that would be levied—as experimented with in a pilot program—via special GPS devices that would track the vehicles' mileage, but that would, it is promised, not keep track of where they were driven. Drivers would then be taxed for the miles they drove, as opposed to paying via the existing system of gasoline taxes.

Is this a good idea? In a word, no. At best, it's overcomplicated and intrusive. At worst, it's a threat to privacy and the environment.

There are, of course, some advantages to taxing people based on miles driven. Roads, bridges, etc., would be funded by those who use them the most. What's more, a variable tax based on mileage would—at least, in theory—encourage people to drive less, helping to reduce congestion and traffic.

The problem is that there are better ways to achieve these goals, starting with the very gas tax that Kulongoski wants to replace. Gas taxes are a pretty good proxy for road usage—the more you drive, the more gas you burn—and there's a bonus: Gas taxes encourage people to use less gas in order to pay less tax, something that's pretty beneficial whether you're worried about greenhouse emissions or just about too much dependence on imported oil. A mileage tax, presumably, doesn't care whether you're driving a Prius or a Hummer, giving no incentive to save. At a time when policy makers are struggling to find ways to reduce emissions and energy consumption, this seems almost perverse. The person who invests a little extra to buy a high-mileage hybrid or diesel would, in effect, be penalized for making that choice. Aren't we trying to encourage people to purchase efficient cars?

Gas taxes are collected at the point of sale, with no privacy risk at all. We might (or might not) trust the government's promises of privacy regarding GPS receivers, but we know that the gas pump can't blab about where we've been. (And with a gas tax there's no need for anybody—drivers, or the state—to shell out for any GPS gadgets, either).

A fancy GPS device could support differential taxes, with higher rates for congested roadways at rush hour. But to do that, it would have to keep track of where you had driven and when, which would undercut any hope of privacy. But if you want to preserve privacy, the GPS doesn't offer much value added. (Heck, if you want to tax mileage, just use the odometer that's already built into every car; it shouldn't be too hard to credit people for out-of-state driving).

[tl_3237]

And its very simple to block the GPS satellite signals by putting a shield around the antenna.

[billamj]

What they've done with this is ensure that they forgo any funding based on the tourist dollar because, and I really hate to point this out to them but I will, tourists tend to drive around various parts of states that they visit to learn about the state. If you are ging to hit them with a tax that much harder than you hit the residents, especially when you add on the additional "room" or "hotel" taxes, you can't expect them to continue coming.

[1861]

This is typical of most everything those tree huggers out there do.

[andrewjs18]

And its very simple to block the GPS satellite signals by putting a shield around the antenna.

I'm sure hackers are already working up a fix. hehe

[ChamberedRound]

What they've done with this is ensure that they forgo any funding based on the tourist dollar because, and I really hate to point this out to them but I will, tourists tend to drive around various parts of states that they visit to learn about the state. If you are ging to hit them with a tax that much harder than you hit the residents, especially when you add on the additional "room" or "hotel" taxes, you can't expect them to continue coming.

More on this point, how would one "outfit" a non-resident's car to track the mileage? This legislation runs the risk of not collecting ANY tax from non-residents and out-of-state tourists.

[billamj]

I was thinking more of those who would be there for a week or so, possibly on business possibly on vacation, who had to fly in from say Philly. They have no choice but to rent a vehicle, so you have the rental tax, the room tax, the additional GPS based taxes, etc. Do you think a lot of people will be willing to do that?

[schmol]

every unit has power wires...hint hint

[Morel42]

What a totally idiotic idea.. That has zero chance to get passed lol..

Only someone who has no idea about technology who read an article in on the toilet could come up with something this friggin dumb.. /sigh

I can't say idiot enough when it comes to this kind of stuff. lol

[Kaos]

every unit has power wires...hint hint

keep in mind some devices can run continuously on batteries for thousands upon thousands of hours. chain 5-6 power sources inside a sealable housing and BINGO.