Paul Dove via EV wrote:
Not really! The government must collect taxes to pay for roads.
Previously it was done by taxing fuel.
I don't think any reasonable person objects to paying taxes to support
our highway infrastructure. But the *way* it's being done with ICEs vs.
EVs violates people's sense of "fair play".
ICEs: Unlike everything else, the taxes on gasoline are "hidden". You
don't get an itemized receipt that shows the amount for fuel, and the
amount for taxes. They "sneak it in" so most people are unaware that
they are paying it. Doing it this way encourages consumption.
EVs: They make the tax a huge "in your face" lump sum payment. That
alarms people, and discourages them from buying an EV.
An additional issue is that many states use fuel taxes as a "cash cow"
that goes into the general fund for all sorts of non-highway-related
uses. People are much less likely to support a tax when they don't know
how the money will be spent.
> You can tax electricity to pay for roads because how would you know
> which part went into the vehicle.
I assume you meant to say you *can't* tax the electricity used for EVs
separately? But you CAN.
When I lived in Michigan, they required that I pay a sales and USE tax
on motor vehicle fuel. So I had a separate meter in the garage, that
showed what I used for EV charging. (It also counted the garage lights,
but that was trivial in comparison). At first, I had to send a form to
the state quarterly to pay the use tax. It was tiny; a couple dollars
every 3 months. Then they changed me to annual filing. Then they said
"don't' bother -- annual totals under $50 don't need to be paid."
--
A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is
nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.
-- Antoine de Saint Exupery
--
Lee Hart's EV projects are at http://www.sunrise-ev.com/LeesEVs.htm
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