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Everyone try this and post your results, especially those who favor such a tax plan. Do the math based upon only the miles you drive to and from work. Figure out how many miles you drive a month to and from work and then multiply that times the tax dollar rate. Post your monthly and yearly tax bill.
I live 8 miles from work. Even if the roads were safe for bicycling (they're way too narrow) I wouldn't bike to work. You try doing that here in south Louisiana in the summer. My monthly tax bill would be $558.40 and my annual bill would be $7,696. At that rate I'd have to cancel satellite tv, Internet, cell phones, home phone options, as well as cutting back on food to be able to afford the tax bill. At that rate, some people would loose their home (house or apartment) because they couldn't afford the rent or house payment. Some would probably try to go without auto, home, and or health insurance to be able to pay such a tax. What it will do is drive away residents and businesses.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sailordave
Everyone try this and post your results, especially those who favor such a tax plan. Do the math based upon only the miles you drive to and from work. Figure out how many miles you drive a month to and from work and then multiply that times the tax dollar rate. Post your monthly and yearly tax bill.
I live 8 miles from work. Even if the roads were safe for bicycling (they're way too narrow) I wouldn't bike to work. You try doing that here in south Louisiana in the summer. My monthly tax bill would be $558.40 and my annual bill would be $7,696. At that rate I'd have to cancel satellite tv, Internet, cell phones, home phone options, as well as cutting back on food to be able to afford the tax bill. At that rate, some people would loose their home (house or apartment) because they couldn't afford the rent or house payment. Some would probably try to go without auto, home, and or health insurance to be able to pay such a tax. What it will do is drive away residents and businesses.
wxjay;20476590.......Bottom line - pay for what you use. You drive a lot? Then you pay more for the maintenance than others who drive less. This is a much better method than a gas tax IMO.
Would also like to add that it's fine with me if this gets big rigs off the roads. Trucks are a highly inefficient and polluting way to transfer goods. We need to get back to using railroads.
And if you live 500 miles from work, you might want to think about moving closer.
I live 28 milkes from work and suburban housing housing costs (along with Progressive NJ's ridiculously high property taxes) are more expensive the closer to my place of employment.
I'm tired of the hypocrisy--generally--from the right on this subject. i.e. Public transit and train travel should be private and shouldn't be subsidized. But it's OK that roads are publicly owned, and are subsidized. Either subsidize everything equally, or don't subsidize them at all.
I still say privatize everything, and see what happens. Sure, it would be a difficult adjustment, but things might be better in the long run.
30 MILE TO AND FROM WORK 150 MILE EVERY WEEK AT A DOLLAR A MILE TAX, THATS A 25% OF MY PAY CHECK EVERY WEEK. that would drive me poor and put me on welfare right where Obama wants me to be!!!
30 MILE TO AND FROM WORK 150 MILE EVERY WEEK AT A DOLLAR A MILE TAX, THATS A 25% OF MY PAY CHECK EVERY WEEK. that would drive me poor and put me on welfare right where Obama wants me to be!!!
The OP got the math wrong, for those of you who are just now entering the conversation. The usage tax would actually be lower than the gas tax. The words "1.85 cents" means 1.85 cents, not $1.85. So really, this whole thread is a moot point.
The lesson to be gleaned from this thread... read the linked article more carefully...
Oregon gas tax = 30 cents per gallon not including the federal tax.
Oregon proposed tax = 0.85 cents per mile
Given a 150 mile trip
Assume a vehicle that gets 25 miles per gallon.
150 miles x 1 gallon / 25 miles = 6 gallons used
6 gallons x 30 cents / 1 gallon = 180 cents = $1.80 that would be spent in taxes for the fuel used.
150 miles x 0.85 cents per mile = 127.5 cents = $1.28 that would be spent in taxes on the mileage travelled.
Pretty good plan if it could be made to work. That is the big question.
The OP got the math wrong, for those of you who are just now entering the conversation. The usage tax would actually be lower than the gas tax. The words "1.85 cents" means 1.85 cents, not $1.85. So really, this whole thread is a moot point.
almost two cents, bid differance!!! how will they keep trek, will they have meter readers?
And I take it that Earth Fare's staff all get on bicycles each morning and trek to Mooresville and to all the other suppliers to pick-up their stock, right?
Sorry for the delay in replying. I had to get some work done. It was around a four mile commute, and guess what - I rode my bike! I know, I know. It was a little ridiculous. Luckily I didn't have to go on many of the major non-bike friendly roads around here.
I'll answer your question b/c I actually like you. Nowhere did I say I'd like trucking to stop all together. What I would like to see an end to is trucking most food all the way across the country. It's stupid and there is no need. There is also not a need for many of the things that consumers purchase that were either trucked across the country or made in China. I'd like to see people learn to live more sustainable and local lifestyles, supporting their locally owned businesses and farmers. It's good for all of us. I use Burt's Bees and I shop at EF b/c they are local companies. I choose them b/c I feel they can impact my community better than if I shopped at Wal-Mart and bought Pantene.
You mentioned earlier about people eating things out of season in other parts of the country, and how a varied diet is good for you. Part of that is correct, but it's actually healthier to eat in season, where you live. Food that is trucked across the country, or shipped from S. America is days, sometimes weeks old, and produce starts losing nutrients at an astounding rate the minute it is picked. Locally grown and harvested produce typically stays on the stem longer and gets to the consumer more quickly, resulting in healthier food. Should we stop growing oranges to send to Maine? No. But there's no reason to truck produce from South America to Wisconsin when they are perfectly capable of growing plenty of it there. As for cold weather, a lot of northern farms use greenhouses.
I didn't say people should stop buying stuff, or that they should live in huts and milk their own cows, just that it's better for everyone if they take care of their own communities.
Hope that clears it up for you, and the other ones who seem to be confused.
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Would also like to add that it's fine with me if this gets big rigs off the roads. Trucks are a highly inefficient and polluting way to transfer goods. We need to get back to using railroads. 
