Oregon officials propose per-mile tax for gas sippers
SALEM, Ore. (AP) - Oregon state officials are proposing an alternative tax for drivers who have bought efficient or electric vehicles that seldom or never stop at the gasoline pump, where government has traditionally collected money to build and fix roads.
But the auto-making industry calls the idea of mileage taxes another roadblock for its efficient vehicles, the Salem Statesman Journal reports.
In its upcoming session, the Oregon Legislature is expected to consider a bill to require drivers with a vehicle getting at least 55 miles per gallon of gasoline or its equivalent to pay a per-mile tax after 2015.
Because it raises taxes, such legislation would need approval by three-fifths votes in both the House and Senate.
The tax would be based on mileage reports that could be made in a variety of ways, such as via smartphone app or global positioning system technology. Drivers could also just pay a flat annual fee.
Lawmakers would have to decide on the rates. The proposed bill leaves that part blank.
Oregon transportation officials have been working for more than a decade to figure out how to pay for roads as cars get extra efficient with gasoline, or use batteries. Those developments upset the usual taxation scheme of charging taxes by the gallon at the gasoline pump, an approximate way of charging more for greater use of the roads.
"Everybody uses the road, and if some pay and some don't, then that's an unfair situation that's got to be resolved," said Jim Whitty of the Department of Transportation.
Other states, including Washington, have looked at per-mile charges. A Washington law that would charge electric car owners an annual fee goes into effect in February.
Opponents of the Oregon proposal say it will hurt a new industry.
"It will be one more obstacle that the industry and auto dealers will face in convincing consumers to buy these new cars," said Paul Cosgrove, a lobbyist for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.
Oregon set up a task force in 2001 and did a pilot study in 2006, which raised privacy concerns — the government could track cars as they use private roads or leave the state. Whitty said the options drivers would have in the new proposal address those concerns.
A second pilot project has involved about 50 participants, mostly state transportation officials and lawmakers. They pay 1.56 cents per mile and get a credit for any gasoline tax they paid at the pump.
Oregon Transportation Commissioner Mary Olson tracked whether she would be charged for miles on private roads by comparing results from her odometer and the GPS-based mileage reporting device.
"It was scary accurate," she said. "I was very pleased."
The per-mile charge wouldn't apply to mileage on private or out-of-state roads.
A similar bill that applied to electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids didn't make it to the House floor in 2011.
The new bill resolves uncertainties about the per-mile charge, said Rep. Vicki Berger of Salem, top Republican on the House Revenue Committee and a member of the Road User Fee Task Force,
"There's a basic unfairness around that tax, and everyone is looking for the magic way to at least get the ball rolling on a different way of doing this, one that reconnects mileage with taxes paid," Berger said.
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Information from: Statesman Journal.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
Well they are spending millions of charging stations (yours and mine tax dollars). Now they threaten to tax the people who were going to use these stations after they buy these non revenue producing vehicles. I said it before, won't be long until the charging stations look like the old telephone booths. More conceptual thinking on the part of liberals. No common sense, just greed.
so when they do this are they going to start taxing the bicyclists, for making the roads "bicycle friendly"? plus what's the point of buying these so called green cars if you're just going to tax the people to use them? I see no point in buying those things anyways.
This is a result of basing taxes on energy use which is stupid. What... no one ever thought this might not be a good idea to tax people on how much gas is bought? Are you kidding me? The tax structure is old out dated and needs a reform but not to punish those that are doing something to keep the planet we live on clean..that is wrong in so many ways. This capitalized structure of society is getting ugly, very ugly.
Oregon needs to move to sales tax to fill many gaps coming up in the new year and ones' that already are here like this situation. Sales tax on goods would solve many problems in this state weather the public likes it or not. Oregon cannot continue to call on the Feds to fill the gaps when Oregon has not done everything they can to take care of the situation itself.
Pinning a mileage tax on electric cars is a very poor attempt. This is not an intelligent idea...it is based on greed.
How about a reverse tax and make the oil companies which get Millions from the feds, have them pay a tax to dirty up the air with gas - one that is not passed on to the consumer.
Oregon is going to have to move into Sales Tax on goods to survive this new year. What is coming out of Washington will hurt even more unless you are a Million plus aire. We little people are screwed we pay more and the rich pay less. Obama caved and sold us out....I am so disappointed.
Beyond that the roads in Oregon are not well kept anyway - what they have in place is not enough as it is or the money is not being used properly all I do know in comparison to other states Oregon roads suck.
It's never enough for a liberal government...always gotta have MORE MORE MORE.
 @OregonOrator seriously? that is your input. not much of a solution maybe that is the reason it is the way it is....those that complain but do nothing about it....just a thought.
I'am so glad that I'am getting up there in years, I hope you all enjoy living in a commy world!
How about no.
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I think the 'yearly fee' ideas makes much more sense than a 'per mile' tax ("Oh, you just got an efficient car? LET'S LIMIT HOW FAR YOU CAN GO WITH IT!").
"one more obstacle to buying these new cars" Evidently having the federal and state governments pick up almost 50% of the cost of "these new cars" through tax breaks, tax credits and rebates isn't enough to sell them. Now they want the unenlightened gas vehicle drivers to pay their share of the road maintenance also. Why not just make us buy them? Whoops, that's probably the next proposal.
As an old guy, I think I'll keep my 22+ MPG, under 50K vehicles and let the rest of you high mileage amd  electric green folks cover my tax burden.Â
I'm constantly amazed how people are so willing to let the government and corporations track everywhere they go, how long they're there, and then record and sell that information. That little GPS tracking device you carry in you pocket or purse does exactly that. You know, that "smart" phone. Now they want to do the same with your car, and people still don't care. The gullibility of the masses knows no limits. Â
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By the way, ODOT will contract this out. The contractor will collect all your information, sell ODOT your mileage, and sell everything else to other government agencies and corporations..  That way ODOT can say they're not interested in anything but the mileage. Notice Whitty didn't give specifics, and the reporter didn't ask.Â
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(cue the herd of bleating sheep here)Â baahhh. BAAHHH!!
 @umpqua rafter I can turn the GPS in my smartphone off, and non-smart phone cell phones still register their position with nearby cell towers every few minutes.Â
 @umpqua rafter Yep that"sheeple" syndrome has taken over alrighty!
@umpqua rafter In post after post you make such sweeping generalizations about your fellow man and/or the facts that they are too boring to read. Please do us a favor and send your tripe where it belongs - to a blog no one reads.
 @OregonOrator  @umpqua Oh..but you are so WRONG oregon orator.. Oregon has become the "Sheeple" state
More of the great parasite at work... the ultimate goal is to have EVERYONE tracked via gps "black box" recorders, paying by the mile, automatically being charged at "toll roads" and tracked everywere you go. People If you still think you live in the "land of the free" then you need to just go back and watch just a little more tv then...