A new little black box for your car plus a bonus tax.

[chargerboy69]

I am betting this will go over well.  There has been talk of this before, but it sounds like it is here, and they are ready to begin. A government installed little black box in your car will tell the government right where you are and how much you are driving, then tax you on the mileage you have traveled.

Sounds like California and Oregon are thrilled about the idea, and moving forward. Curtis. . it is not too late to move to Indiana.

And 200 years ago this country started a revolution for a 2 cent tax on a breakfast drink, and it wasn't even coffee.


http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-roads-black-boxes-20131027,0,6090226.story#axzz2iwVn3PKj

[rt green]

seems if its a wacked idea, California will be for it. glad I don't live there.

[Silver R/T]

California is like a giant cancer tumor, it needs to be cut out before this disease affects whole body.

[Ghoste]

Too late, it's already spread to DC and thats like it hitting your lymph nodes.

[myk]

California screams "leave me, I'm a lost cause" everyday I live there.  I've been in 'Vegas for the last six weeks and I must say I appreciate the lower taxes/cost of living as well as a friendly attitude towards the 2nd Amendment, HOWEVER...........this whole deal about having to smog cars newer than..............'67, I think it is?  Destroys the possibility of me relocating here...

[Fred]

That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of. It's like taxing the air we breath by the nose full.

[myk]

That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of. It's like taxing the air we breath by the nose full.

Dude don't give them ideas! 

[Mike DC]

  
It would be much simpler to just add a few more cents tax onto gasoline.  They're doing this computer mileage stuff because the public screams about gas taxes even though they are currently very cheap in the big worldwide picture.

Be careful what you wish for.

[Ghoste]

Except that people are also pissed because a gas tax means the hybrids and electrics aren't paying their share.

[green69rt]

In Texas we have a gas tax that is supposed to fund road improvements/construction and repair.   It's a convenient pot of money for the politicians in Austin to dip into to fund their pet projects.  By the Texas Constitution the money is dedicated but it when it comes to budget time they always find a way to "temporarily" divert to other uses.  So now they build toll roads to get more money from everyone.

[Pete in NH]

The idea of taxing the miles you drive has been around for quite a few years. As cars become more fuel efficient states are afraid they will lose revenue if they tax only gasoline. I suspect this idea will pick up support as fuel mileage continues to increase and tax revenue decreases. How else do you tax an electric vehicle? What concerns me more is the increasing use of technology to track where everyone is and when they are there. EZ Pass systems, all the cameras that record your vehicles license plates on the highways, even your cell phones GPS system. Did anyone else see the recent stories on those highway camera systems and the data being collected on everyone? It would not be hard at all to track your location and movements as well as the miles you've driven with that little black box. New cars already are equipped with "black boxes" that collect speed, braking events as well as other data that can be downloaded, supposedly to help design safer cars. I wonder when insurance companies will start using that data to deny claims.

[Nwcharger]

Here in portland there is 3ft wide bike lanes on almost every street and there are bike riders everywhere. I hate it. They need to tax those aholes and make them register there bikes to ride on there special bike lane that is in the road that I have to pay registraion fees to drive on.

[Mytur Binsdirti]

A few years ago, MA Gov. "Mini-Me" Patrick proposed a "miles driven" tax for automoblies & it was shot down. Unfortunately, I can pretty much guarantee that it will be back.

[maxwellwedge]

What starts in Cali usually spreads to the rest on North America.

This to me is more of a "Big Brother" thing....tracing our patterns, keeping tabs etc. Break out the tin foil hats!

[Fred]

Here in portland there is 3ft wide bike lanes on almost every street and there are bike riders everywhere. I hate it. They need to tax those aholes and make them register there bikes to ride on there special bike lane that is in the road that I have to pay registraion fees to drive on.

Sounds like Australia to me.

[Fred]

In Texas we have a gas tax that is supposed to fund road improvements/construction and repair.   It's a convenient pot of money for the politicians in Austin to dip into to fund their pet projects.  By the Texas Constitution the money is dedicated but it when it comes to budget time they always find a way to "temporarily" divert to other uses.  So now they build toll roads to get more money from everyone.

Sounds like Australia to me.

[XH29N0G]

The strange thing about the article is that they say it is supported by both libertarians and environmentalists.  They say that at least in Oregon it was intended to be balanced by a gas tax drop.  

[JB400]

 this is what happens when politicians shoot themselves in the foot. 

[Fred]

this is what happens when politicians shoot themselves in the foot. 

If they shot themselves somewhere else we wouldn't have to worry. 

[will]

The strange thing about the article is that they say it is supported by both libertarians and environmentalists.  They say that at least in Oregon it was intended to be balanced by a gas tax drop.  

The taxes will never be dropped. They don't know how to lower them, only how to raise them.

[Fred]

The strange thing about the article is that they say it is supported by both libertarians and environmentalists.  They say that at least in Oregon it was intended to be balanced by a gas tax drop.  

The taxes will never be dropped. They don't know how to lower them, only how to raise them.

That's right because they'll never be able to manage with less.

[Lord Warlock]

20 years ago, we voted in an extra 13 cents a gallon gas tax to rid ourselves of toll booths on Interstate 95, something no other state seems to do,  it was supposed to be for 6 years only, but the city/state refuses to get rid of the taxes we voluntarily added.  Now they claim it is for highway projects and upkeep.  I can't complain much about the roads around here they are in pretty good shape overall, although the bridges are getting old and brittle... and we have 7 major bridges around our city.  If any one of them fails its a major disruption.  A barge hit one and closed it down about a month ago, its still out of order and closed, disrupting traffic.  

If the government adds black boxes to cars, i will always have at least one vehicle that does not have a box installed, and i will manage to get around the stupid laws the greedy bloodsuckers choose to impose on us.  The weird thing is that they actually charge you for the black box that they install, that then tattles on your habits.  My new challenger has a black box that will tell the dealer the last speed you were driving at prior to an accident along with minimal other information.  But at least it won't tell them how many miles i drive, or how fast i drive all the time.   Just the last 10 seconds or so before an accident.

They blame the loss of revenue on fuel efficient cars, but they force us to drive more efficient cars by upping the mpg standards in every democratic election that is won.  They force us to accept electric and hybrid vehicles, then complain that we aren't paying taxes buying less gas.  hypocrites.  May they all choke on their greed.  

[myk]

No newer cars for me!

[Mike DC]

            
People forget that inflation takes the value out of taxes too.  XXX cents of tax money per gallon isn't what it used to be.  

[bull]

In Texas we have a gas tax that is supposed to fund road improvements/construction and repair.   It's a convenient pot of money for the politicians in Austin to dip into to fund their pet projects.  By the Texas Constitution the money is dedicated but it when it comes to budget time they always find a way to "temporarily" divert to other uses.  So now they build toll roads to get more money from everyone.

That's because Austin is full of Californians.

Sounds like California and Oregon are thrilled about the idea, and moving forward. Curtis. . it is not too late to move to Indiana.

Yeah, no kidding. Oregon is full of Californains too.