Annual "Hybrid tax" goes into effect in Virginia

[Hauldren Collider]

In my opinion, all of northern Virginia's problems would be solved if we put a $20 toll on all of the bridges across the Potomac. Make it happen, Richmond.

[giblets]

This tax makes a ton of sense. Your gas tax pays for the road use, not environmental harm. Because actually taxing people based on how many miles they drive would be complicated as hell, we tax people based on how much gas they use as an approximation. Hybrid owners get out of paying for roads by using less gas and paying less in gas taxes.

I wish New York had as smart a legislature as Virginia's, and taxed hybrids instead of ****ing soda bottles

Why is it complicated? How about using a device in every car that measures the number of miles driven in order to check how many miles someone has driven every year and taxing them based on that? It might cost a bit more to implement than a gas tax but it doesn't sound complicated.

[Hauldren Collider]

It's a lot more complicated to try to inspect everyone's odometer than to implement a sales tax, gribbler.

[giblets]

Odometers are complicated? If Virginia can require annual vehicle inspections what is so hard adding a requirement of annually recording the number of miles driven and taxing people accordingly?

[Hauldren Collider]

It's harder to enforce. Plenty of people don't bother to get their inspections done. If they get pulled over, they get fined, of course, but lots of evasion still occurs.

[Wezil]

Do you need proof of inspection to renew registration?

[Hauldren Collider]

You're assuming they also bother to renew their registrations. But yes, you do.

[Wezil]

Then that's your answer.

If they are going to dodge paying for registration then it is reasonable to presume they will also dodge the mileage tax.

Now they can get hit with a second offence when they are finally stopped for the registration issue.

[Dinner]

It reminds me of our power provider upping rates because people were conserving power and this was cutting into profits.

Damned if you do...

Our water district did that too. Twice.

"You must conserve water!" "Opps, people are conserving too much, we aren't making the same amount of money, and now we have to raise rates!"

[Sava]

1) gas taxes to penalize pollution
2) tolls to penalize wear & tear on the roads
3) tolls to penalize use of cars along congested roadways

This is the ideal, to be mediated by the transactions cost involved

its been a while since i a KH public policy post

i'm going to savor this