That is a good point. If you were required to get an odometer check every year similar to a smog test, then the privacy issue would be a moot point. However, I think they do not want to wait an entire year to collect the tax. They want to collect it on a monthly basis.
Then, it will be "daily"... automatically deducted from your checking account or charged to your Visa... (Soon thereafter, you'll have to submit a form in triplicate TO TAKE A DUMP!)
to OP: hahaha - that would be funny. so it may not be that bad to drive hummer after all. the proposal is wiser than a fuel tax because people could start to buy efficient cars and the big brother (or uncle for that matter) wouldn't collect enough taxes. it doesn't matter how much people polute - let's reward immobility/inaction. orwell could not come up with a better plan...
Darn straight they do. Americans are too stupid to multiply their monthly tax by 12. Don't believe me? Look at the income tax and how happy the retards are to get a refund. They cheer! Retard: "Oooo, I got $500 back!" Me: "How much did you pay?" Retard: "I have no idea, all that matters is I didn't have $500 before and I do now! Woo hoo!" Me: "I bet you can have more taken out of your paycheck every week, then your refund will be even bigger. Ask your accountant." Retard: "Say, that's a great idea! Thanks!" Say the average person racks up 1000 miles a month, and we're being Obamaed for 10 cents a mile. That's a hundred smackers, and people won't gripe much about it. But heaven help you if you hit `em with a $1200 bill at the end of the year! People would grab their guns and march on Washington.
We likely end up with both taxes. The per mile tax will kick in after 7,500 miles... "excessive use fee", "equilization fee" ("high-mileage" drivers, "fair share", etc...).
I put in a post related to this awhile back, seems a state that considered it found it would be VERY expensive to implement. I belief it was some kind of device in every car. So what will it prove that a gas tax does not? People already pay for their miles driven. You cannot put water in your tank, you need gas or diesel!!! And if people switch to natural gas, hybrids or plugin/electric, isn't that what the govt is giving tax credits to do anyway? Just raise the gas tax and don't make this extremely complicated and intrusive. It will wind up losing money, knowing how governments work...
Ron Paul said that Congress does nothing but tax manipulation, that is why they NEVER SOLVE ANYTHING btw... the current tax is a consumption tax, it's not progressive so they can soak the rich more, therefore it's "regressive" and you know how bad that is... NOT!! Man, I don't have a cellphone because I don't like the idea of being tracked, I would put one in the backpack for emergencies but when I needed it, it would not be charged, that's a certainty, anything that runs on batteries and is not in daily use won't be charged.... I like a tax that taxes all the illegals and the rest of the crooks and welfare clowns that don't pay income tax... it collects more from the SUV owners that don't care about fuel economy as well... it leaves people like me free to create wealth and jobs... besides I walk to do things every possible chance I can, driving is a grim chore at best.... "go, stop, keep the thing between the lines, look out for the technically/mentally challenged people.... " a couple hours of that shit and you are a zombie for the rest of the day... The really big, overarching move is to crowd us all into population centers.. they let the national forests burn and take out the houses and entire communities, want to tax us by the mile, screw up our economic situation so we can't have cars, let environuts run rampant, etc.. it's all about the population centers...
This makes no logic. They're saying a toyota corolla creates as much wear and tear on the roads as a 20 ton tractor trailer