other newspapers’ opinions: Mileage tax could be problematic
Monday, January 5, 2009 10:54 AM PST
The Coos Bay World
Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s mileage tax barely met the Dec. 31 deadline for 2008’s worst political idea, but it’s sure to be a contender.
The governor is alarmed fuel-efficient cars, burning less gasoline, are reducing Oregon’s highway revenue. So he wants to tax the miles you drive instead of the gas you buy.
Let’s pause and consider the irony of this suggestion. Just two months ago, Kulongoski rolled out legislation to combat climate change. Among his proposals for reducing energy consumption was a $5,000 tax credit for all-electric cars. Now Gov. Green has identified conservation as Budget Enemy No. 1. File this item under “Be Careful What You Wish For.”
The mileage tax would create at least as many problems as it solves. The first, obviously, is that it would erase the incentive to conserve. Gas taxes promote conservation, because the owners of gas guzzlers inevitably pay more than drivers of fuel-efficient vehicles. The differential is appropriate, since bigger vehicles emit more greenhouse gas and cause more wear on roads.
Another objection to the mileage tax is the needless expansion of government intrusion. To measure your travel, the state proposes to equip cars with GPS tracking devices, which will record the miles you drive.
Did the phrase “Big Brother” just pop into your head? Mileage tax supporters insist the government won’t actually monitor where you drive — just how far. But plans for the system include tracking whether the car has been driven out of state (no tax for that) or in high-congestion zones (extra tax for that).
The system clearly will know where you’ve been; you’re expected to trust the government not to store, examine or disclose the information.
The gee-whiz technology of the mileage tax shouldn’t be allowed to obscure the governor’s basic goal. More money for highways isn’t necessarily a bad objective.
But if Kulongoski wants it, he should exert old-fashioned persuasion until taxpayers agree with him. Don’t bamboozle us with a high-tech system that secretly aims for the same result.
