in england we have to display a yearly “road tax disc” in our windscreen.now the more economical your car the less tax you pay,a 1 litre tiny hatchback pays only ?35 per year,but a v8 engined large car pays ?400 per year.we used to all pay the same, about ?100,but the government decided on these new rates to force people to buy more “enviromentaly friendly” also with petrol also at ?5 ($9) a gallon,the owners of larger cars are feeling it in thier wallets!so why doesnt the american government do something similar??because why do you need a v8 just to commute to work??
We have fuel taxes ostensibly for road and transportation maintenance. The more fuel you use (as with a large car) the more taxes you pay.
in rip-off britain(as its affectionally known)we are effectively taxed twice,the fuel tax on petrol is over 80 percent,and then our road tax!no wonder diesels are becoming so popular in england,with thier low emissions and high mpg.
Some states also have registration fees based on horsepower of vehicle, or empty weight of the vehicle, so that policy may direct folks toward better environmental alternatives. There is also a federal tax credit for “green” cars like hybrids, so there are several incentive/discentives in place.
Massachusetts also hits us with a excise tax for The privilege to drive on Massachusett’s exceptionally fine roads
I live in an oil-producing region. The tax system used to be based on, believe it or not, how many square feet of road surface the car occupied; this was the only variable that cost the government money. So a Cadillac cost a lot more than a Hoinda Civic. Since that time, all cars have a flat $70 per year road tax to keep the plates on.
On a trip to France I was told that my old V8 Caprice would have a road tax of almost $2000 per year, but a 4 cylinder Renault might only cost $60 per year. For France, a country without oil and with narrow streets, this formula probably makes sense.
In Holland they make you pay $102,000 (incuding gas guzzler tax) for a Jeep Grand Cherokee, and then also slap on a hefty annual road tax, together with $7/gallon gas. Not many Grand Cherokees on the road in Holland.
When I’m King, things will be different.
Not to be smart but with petro at $9 a gallon, does anyone really think that an extra 300 pound yearly fee is really going to drive someone to a smaller versus a larger car? It just defies common sense and just an excuse to collect a little extra while pretending to be conservation minded.
At any rate, in the US there are both federal and state taxes that are collected per gallon of fuel. The federal taxes are collected and redistributed back to the states for roads. In most states the state taxes also go for road use although its getting somewhat watered down for mass transit in some areas. In addition there are state license plate fees each year. Every state has their own formula but can range anywhere from $35 a year on up to $400 or so based on value of the car. Trucks are another issue. In some states these fees go for roads and in others they don’t. Most of these taxes though go for roads and are reasonably fair in that the more you drive and wear the roads out, the more you pay.
In the US, we have been terribly concerned about tyranny from the federal government, given the experience of other countries, and therefore give much power to the states instead of the feds. Also, outside of the eastern part of the country and the extreme western part, we are very sparsely populated and need to travel long distances on a daily basis. We are very spread out and our vehicles need to accommodate that. Also don’t forget that the price you pay for petro is a contrived price with social taxes added on that we would never tolerate here.
I’m not a fan of Big Brotherism so I’m against any of this garbage.
Since I live in oil field and farm country, and if gov. legislates V-8s out of existence, then people better start going on a diet and walking a lot because it’s going to be near impossible to accomplish much with a small 4-banger powering a truck full of oil field fishing tools or a farm truck pulling 8000 pounds of stock trailer, with cattle, to market.
Maybe these esteemed elected officials, including Al Gore here, should set an example by practicing what they preach instead of tooling around in private jets, chaffeured limos, and their personal Benz automobiles.
Personally I believe the tax on the fuel is a better idea. If the intent is to get people to think twice before doing something that consumes more fuel and creates more pollution, then taxing the fuel is more effective. The tax on ownership of the car does cost the owner of a inefficient car, who may drive a few hundred miles a year as the guy who might drive 50,000 miles.
Because socialism doesn’t fly here. It’s a free country, and if you want gas-swilling V8 powered vehicles (I have two) it’s your right, you simply pay more in taxes at the pump since your vehicle uses more gas, if you drive an econobox, you don’t pay as much since your car uses less gas. If the federal government tried to pull something like the road tax they have in England there would be riots. Being enviromentally friendly should be a personal choice and not a government mandated one.
Being enviromentally friendly should be a personal choice and not a government mandated one.
I don’t know if you meant that they way it sounds, but if so …
The environment is shared by all of us. No one persona should have the right to damage it without paying in some way.
A sizeable “road use tax” based on weight and/or displacement would drop the resale value of SUVs. If the “vanity” owners of SUVs can’t swap them in regularly to keep up with their friends and also paid a $1,000 tax annually to keep them their popularity would drop like a rock. Commercial owners likely pay such a tax currently but it’s hidden in their P&L somewhere.
Tolls are becoming the rage in the DC area. There is a new road just starting contruction across the norther DC suburbs and the constructions bonds will be repaid with toll revenues. There are also several existing roads that will have lanes added that will be available to toll payers, commuter buses (no fee), and possibly car pools (no fee).
Speaking of tolls, what goes with the Texas corridor? It’s an off and on subject of hot debate on several talk radio shows.
The Beatles were all over this!
Remember Taxman ?
Let me tell you how it will be
There’s one for you, nineteen for me
Cuz I’m the taxman, yeah… I’m the taxman
Should five per cent appear too small
Be thankful I don’t take it all
Cuz I’m the taxman, yeah… I’m the taxman
If you drive a car, I’ll tax the street
If you try to sit, I’ll tax your seat
If you get too cold I’ll tax the heat
If you take a walk, I’ll tax your feet
Taxman!
Cuz I’m the taxman, yeah… I’m the taxman
Taxman!
P.S. How many of you get the melody going right in your head when you read the words?
What was trying to say is the government should not be able to dictate what you drive through oppressive taxation. If you want to buy Prius that’s fine it’s your choice, and there is nothing wrong with getting a tax break for it. But it’s wrong to have some arbitrary tax on vehicles that may not be as green as a Prius. I have no problem with rewarding those who choose to drive green vehicles with a tax break. But I do have a problem with penalizing people who don’t want to drive such vehicles.
I agree! Last time I checked, this was still The United States of America!
The government is already doing this. Not by taxation, but by denying certain vehicles from ever being built. That’s what happened to the VW bug. If the vehicle can’t meet a certain pollution standard…then it CAN’T be sold in the US.
Tolls are becoming the rage in the DC area
Should have lived in NJ 15 - 20 years ago. Every 10 miles was a tool booth. It was HELL driving down the tnpk.