Why won’t they count him as a second occupant so I can get in the carpool lane?
A year ago, the Oregon Department of Transportation announced it had demonstrated that a new way to pay for roads — via a mileage tax and satellite technology — could work.
Now Gov. Ted Kulongoski says he’d like the legislature to take the next step.
As part of a transportation-related bill he has filed for the 2009 legislative session, the governor says he plans to recommend “a path to transition away from the gas tax as the central funding source for transportation.â€
What that means is explained on the governor’s website:
“As Oregonians drive less and demand more fuel-efficient vehicles, it is increasingly important that the state find a new way, other than the gas tax, to finance our transportation system.â€
According to the policies he has outlined online, Kulongoski proposes to continue the work of the special task force that came up with and tested the idea of a mileage tax to replace the gas tax.
I don’t care who you are, that’s funny right there.
Getting rid of the gas tax!?! Never in a hundred years, especially in bluest of blue Oregon.
I’m thinking I have to look into finding a way for Oregonians to register their vehicles at my place for 75% off the dotgov’s price.
This idea is on top of a tripling of registration & titling fees.
A slight nay-say crept into the discussion yesterday, though, when it was pointed out that the only manufacturer of such equipment has been unable to prevent it’s pre-production models from draining car batteries.
Something tells me that adding such equipment to a new car will void the warranty on the battery at least, and probably the rest of the 12vdc equipment as well.
And it’s so unnecessary. Nothing wrong with the gas tax, except the opposition to every raising of it. That’s what Gov. Tax-and-gouge-me wants to avoid. The gizmo would allow the dot.gov to raise the tax without anyone knowing, just by inputting new parameters into the gizmo.
It’s just another incentive to keep from buying a new car, added to the long list already in existence.