[darren]

Saw this article in usatoday's website.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-09-20-roads_N.htm?csp=34

So instead of paying a gas tax, they pay a road use tax. This does not help reduce fuel consumption.

 

[chittychittybangbang]

Who knows....it could be hacked too, so you drive only half the miles, etc.

The article also mentions privacy concerns...valid, but the average schmo doesn't care. EZ pass has been used as evidence in court, and this could too.

 

[jon applespeed]

It's a conspiracy!!!!anic:

J/K, it sounds like the politicians want to be able to say that they reduced gas prices.

 

[blupearl]

The idea is that the more road you use, the more tax you pay because you use up that resource. It has nothing to do with fuel economy, all it does is shift taxes more evenly among cars.

A bad idea since it does not penalize fuel guzzlers.

 

[iansw]

Well there's already a gas guzzler tax and the road system is underfunded. Why not have both? It enourages carpooling and that cuts fuel consumption in half already.

 

[jon applespeed]

I forgot that carpooling is a double whammy. Well why not charge a toll for more than 2 empty seats? A regular 4 seat car would only get a regular toll, so no change. 1 carpooler would get no toll. SUVs with 6 seats would get 2 tolls.

 

[buggy9]

I forgot that carpooling is a double whammy. Well why not charge a toll for more than 2 empty seats? A regular 4 seat car would only get a regular toll, so no change. 1 carpooler would get no toll. SUVs with 6 seats would get 2 tolls.

If you had a toll like that how would you collect it? There's no way use a fast lane type toll collector because it wouldn't know ho wmnay peopl there are in a car.

 

[jon applespeed]

Easy. Have the regular toll lanes, the person at the toll checks to see how many people you have in the car. Then an express carpool lane where the person also checks to see if you have at least 1 carpooler and charges the appropriate fee.