Clark Howard's Tips
Congress considers gas tax based on mileageApril 20, 2005
Clark talked last year about an experiment going on in the state of Oregon, whereby people would be taxed based on the number of miles they drive.
Right now, when people fill up their tanks at a gas station, they pay a certain amount of tax for each gallon.
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But what happens when people buy a fuel efficient automobile? They're going to pay fewer taxes and the amount of money the government gets is reduced.
In Oregon, state officials are testing out a system that will tax people based on the number of miles they drive.
Basically, it's a road tax.
We asked asked in a Clark's weekly poll how you felt about the initiative. About 75 percent said they were not in favor of it. The most popular reasons why were that people didn't want government involvement and they didn't like the idea of being tracked.
GPS systems would be installed in cars to track the number of miles people drive.
But, apparently, this taxation idea is taking shape and the Feds are now setting up a commission to look into it further, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Theoretically, it makes sense to tax people on the miles they drive.
But for people like Clark, who drive fuel efficient cars, the tax burden would be doubled. In addition, the current system encourages people to drive more fuel efficient cars, which reduces our dependence on foreign oil sources. But Congress is going to have its say in this.
Speaking of fuel costs, how much fuel do you think you waste sitting at traffic lights?
It's in the billions of dollars at this point. The sad part is that it's preventable.
Smart lights, which can tell when cars are approaching or in the area, would help that problem immeasurably. There are simple ways to address this issue, and we need to look into that.
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