Oregon Pursues Mileage Tax and Tracking Legislation Hasso Hering Albany Democrat-Herald ( http://www.infowars.com/?p=6866 ) December 29, 2008 A year ago, the Oregon Department of Transportation announced it had demonstrated that a new way to pay for roads â via a mileage tax and satellite technology â could work. Now Gov. Ted Kulongoski says heâd 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 âa path to transition away from the gas tax as the central funding source for transportation.â What that means is explained on the governorâs website: âAs 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. The governor wants the task force âto partner with auto manufacturers to refine technology that would enable Oregonians to pay for the transportation system based on how many miles they drive.â The online outline adds: âThe governor is committed to ensuring that rural Oregon is not adversely affected and that privacy concerns are addressed.â When the task forceâs study and test were in the news in 2006 and 2007, critics worried that the technology could be used to track where vehicles go, not just how far they travel, and that this information would somehow be stored by the government. Read article.......... http://www.dhonline.com/articles/2008/12/28/news/local/1aaa02_road.txt
So they want to use a high tech kludge to get people to pay more for driving? Why not just raise the gas tax? It would be simpler, cost less and achieve the same result. Well, except someone's brother-in-law wouldn't get the contract. Edit: Oh yeah, it sounds like it would increase the price of a new car. I'm sure the a car manufacturers are jumping all over this.
California warns companies they may owe use tax Businesses owe about $682 million and individuals, $409 million, the state says. The average business owes $340 in back taxes and households owe $436, the Board of Equalization says. http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-usetax29-2008dec29,0,7501143.story