Re: Fuel efficient cars reduce Federal gas tax
 

Well all they do here is check the gas cap with a pressure test and plug into the OBDii port and make sure there are no codes. $35 a pop. It is a real racket. I understand why the test was needed when they started it back in the late seventies with a tail pipe test. Now it is getting ridiculous since less than two percent of the vehicles in the state fail each year. And the number of vehicle that do fail has been dropping each year that passes. If someone wants to see if I have any codes all they have to do is push the check codes button on my Scan Gauge. :p

Re: Fuel efficient cars reduce Federal gas tax
 

There are a lot of other hidden taxes in the cost of a gallon too. My last car was a diesel, and I used to fill up at a card lock station, where they would send a very itemized bill once a month. After a little work with my calculator, I was more than shocked when I figured out the total tax, with the federal tax, state tax, county tax, city tax, and various environmental things like the leaky tank fee amounted to 35%! A full third of the cost of a gallon was taxes. So much for the 18 cents they like to bandy about.

Re: Fuel efficient cars reduce Federal gas tax
 

New cars in NC are not inspected annually.

In most states, inspections cost money. Mostly a waste to inspect OBD2 cars annually.

Fed gas tax is $.18. That is a fact.

Much of the country lives in states that add about $.30 - including NC which pays a bit more.

Of course we should increase the gas tax. Funny how a per mile tax would somehow be more palatable. I for one am figuring how I would fix my odometer. I suppose the best approach is to get an old Insight which might have a mechanical odometer. Easy enough to disconnect - while I suppose it's tampering would be quite illegal, there are far too many people who would be willing to do it.

I personally think the EVs should get the tax break and make everyone else pay more. The secondary benefits are signigicant.

Re: Fuel efficient cars reduce Federal gas tax
 

I forgot about this pic.
I figure its pertinent to the topic.

Re: Fuel efficient cars reduce Federal gas tax
 

I vote for much higher registration fees that cover roads, not a rise in gasoline taxes. That will future-proof the situation. The cost would be a flat fee for any vehicle. It could be graded by weight, so that 18 wheelers are more expensive than registering a Miata.

Then I could say, if you want the privilege of driving you should pay for the roads. Then you can drive as much as you want on those smooth roads.

Re: Fuel efficient cars reduce Federal gas tax
 

I favor setting a gas tax as a percentage instead of a fixed amount. Set the percentage at the number that is the same as the original amount. This would encourage Americans to use a lot less fuel, reducing our dependence of foreign oil.

Re: Fuel efficient cars reduce Federal gas tax
 

Good luck with tax increases... we may end up with subsidized fuel like they do in some third world countries, after all driving is a right.

I'm willing to subsidize the cost of electricity for all BEVs with the increased fuel taxes.

Re: Fuel efficient cars reduce Federal gas tax
 

In the 2008 election control of the NC legislature changed from Democrat to Republican.

In 2009 the NC legislature recognized a major budgetary short-fall for NC resulting from the economic down turn.

So ... after reducing public school (including state colleges and universities) teacher head count, the legislature moved a substantial portion of the NC Highway Trust Fund ... to the General Fund budget.

So, now according to the last I heard the NC Highway Trust Fund is significantly UNDER FUNDED.

So ... we collect highway taxes, try to spend the funds wisely ... and they STILL DISAPPEAR!

But ... one thing the NC legislature does apparently aggressively support from a highway point of view is ... QUALITY ... expressways out of Raliegh (the state capital) to the beach and mountain recreation areas.

Just saying what I have observed ...

Re: Fuel efficient cars reduce Federal gas tax
 

Increasing registration fees has some drawbacks. For instance, my co-worker has a long commute including some minimally maintained dirt roads. So he drives 4wds. He recognizes that it is inefficient, but the registration and insurance costs make it prohibitive to also have an efficient fair weather car.

A gas tax drives all the right behaviors -- vehicle choice, driving style, length of commute, and carpooling.

Re: Fuel efficient cars reduce Federal gas tax
 

I agree. We just need those with some political b***s to step up and push it through.

I think a registration fee, even if it is based on weight, is almost as unfair as a flat per-mile tax. It rewards those who drive a lot, at the expense of those who drive very little. If you log lots of miles per day, helping clog up the roads, you pay no more than the person who chooses to take public transit, walk, bike or carpool most of the time, but still maintains a car for the occasional time they really need it.

It's not owning a car that jams and wears out the roads, consumes resources, pollutes the planet and kills people. It's driving that does.