The Prius Tax

I am little confused on this issue. As a liberal, I AM OPPOSED TO MORE COMMODITY TAXES!”I don’t want to pay for the LOSERS(SUV/Pickup truck owners) gas tax!” This is America so fuck’em. Give me socialism or give me death.*GFI*Imposing as many taxes as possible on SUVs and Pickups would basically be a tax on the GOP. I want fiscal responsibility and tax revenue for their $6 trillion of national deficit. NOW PLEASE!

If you want to tax something. I suggest we start with the offering plate at every church in America. I know it goes against the Constitution but when has that stopped our government from something. There is good money to be sucked out of the church.

I would really like fleets using natural gas to pay for their road use. They pay no gas tax so mileage tax would work for that. Maybe a mileage tax based on vehicle weight would make sense.

Well, that’s mighty white of them. (No offense to GDAB caucasians.) Why don’t they add a minimum gas tax to car rentals on top of all the fees you pay anyway? Or maybe they can just tax non drivers too!

Well – I think we could come up with something that is itself a hybrid. Eventually we’ll have electric cars, and they still need to use the roads which still need to be maintained. I DON’T want the government tracking me by GPS, however.I’d favor an EasyPass solution – where money is deducted from a prepaid account based on miles driven AND weight class of vehicle. And, I’d maintain the gas tax, to retain the incentive for people to convert to the newer more fuel efficient vehicles.QT

We should not offer tax breaks to citizens that buy fuel efficient cars and help remove America from the Saudi teat. We should, however, give out large tax breaks to oil companies and car companies that talk a lot about alternative fuels even though they rarely create alternative fuels or offer few cars that actually remove America from the Saudi teat.

This is the worst idea I’ve ever heard coming out of Washington, and I know that’s saying something. But seriously…This. Is. Bad. And I can’t imagine Obama would advocate it, even though it’s his (Republican, BTW) transportation secretary whose suggesting it. It’s political suicide. Could this be internal sabotage on the part of one of Obama’s few GOP cabinet members? Tin foil hat alert, yes, but given the party-first attitude of the rest of the GOP, I don’t put it past even the most “moderate” of them to play this game, even from inside the President’s own cabinet.

I have a 14-16mpg pickup I will be parking soon in favor of a 33mpg Focus with the goal of SAVING money, mainly on gasoline, but also lower insurance rates.I hadn’t even considered the fact I would be paying less taxes due to my use of less gasoline.On the one hand, I agree that users of the road ought to shoulder its costs as equally as possible. On the other hand, why in the hell should I pay MORE taxes simply because I have a longer commute (40 miles round-trip) than someone than drives Hummer half that distance.Plus, would trucking companies be bound by a mileage tax too? Those large semis cause far more damage to the roads than commuter vehicles. Perhaps the mileage tax ought to be levied per-mile as well as per-axle and per-vehicle. Those that have off-road four wheelers have to transport them, those that have multiple vehicles to suit their day-by-day tastes.I think this issue could be a VERY slippery slope.

GI -There is nothing in the Constitution preventing Churches from being taxed. In fact, Churches paid taxes in the U.S. for over one hundred years. The tax exempt status given to churches is a relatively recent invention and the Supreme Court has already ruled that a tax exemption is equivalent to a subsidy so our tax dollars are subsidizing religion. Such a subsidy is likely to be found to violate the separation of church and state portion of the constitution if anyone ever challenged it. So far it has not been challenged and your and my tax dollars subsidize the mass teaching of fairy tale belief systems.

Two words: Road Tax.

I think that’s what it was called when I was stationed in Scotland many years ago. Base it on vehicle weight.

QT -

I DON’T want the government tracking me by GPS, however. I’d favor an EasyPass solution

The only difference between GPS and EasyPass tracking is that with GPS they can tell exactly where you are all the time. With EasyPass they can only tell what times you were near EasyPass detectors (not all EasyPass detectors are at toll booths).Point samples versus continuous graph of position. I can tell you drove from Brooklyn to Stamford with either method so the difference is almost nil.I don’t have EasyPass and don’t want one. People need to be more defensive of their privacy.

We put a tax on things people will do regardless — like drink, smoke, make money — not to punish or discourage that behavior.Tax gas first, and then when enough people have scraped their gas guzzlers, then start taxing mileage (factoring curb weight as a variable is interesting since that has an effect on road lifespan).I like Bill Maher’s comment that we should just have one big tax, rather than breaking it up into myriad mini-taxes to keep up revenue (all those little fees and fines you pay if you try to do anything).I don’t mind some of my taxes going toward healthcare for people who are less healthy than I am — I recognize that a more medically healthy society is more productive and happy. So I don’t mind of some of my tax dollars go to infrastructure I don’t use daily.

Sooo…we can’t change our TV’s from analog to digital, and you expect our government to pull this off…ok…It’s sad, you and your fellow socialists actually believe the government will take better care of your life then YOU can.Socialism doesn’t work, it’s been tried. Woodrow Wilson (probably your hero) and FDR kicked off the decline of our freedom a long time ago.I really don’t understand why you wouldn’t want to pay less taxes, refuse support people who exploit the welfare system, and be responsible for your own life?If your not a socialist by the time your 20, you don’t have a heart, if your not conservative by the time your 50, you don’t have a brain.W. Churchill

This tax thing is confusing to me. I live in CT and already pay ridiculously high “property tax” on my 2000 Hyundai. I was under the impression that that money goes to fixing roads. On top of that, I pay higher premiums in auto insurance because of the mileage I have to drive to get to work. I also pay one of the highest – if not the highest – gas tax rates of any state in the union. This on top of the already high federal gas tax. And since CT also pays the highest electric rates in the country, one of those new futuristic electric cars is completely out of the question today, tomorrow or ever unless the rates come down to something approximating sanity. Oh, and those of you who have had the pleasure of visiting the Nutmeg state know that the roads suck! Why do I live here? Oh yeah, family and friends. Just another victim of geography.

If your not a socialist by the time your 20, you don’t have a heart, if your not conservative by the time your 50, you don’t have a brain.

If you’re not collecting SOCIAL Security by the time you’re 65, blame FDR and not your conservative politicians. Good job, nate. Republicans, GO!

If you drive a car, I’ll tax the streetIf you try to sit, I’ll tax your seatIf you get too cold I’ll tax the heatIf you take a walk, I’ll tax your feetOdometers are too easy to cheat. Weight does the damage. Charge a flat tax based on vehicle weight for the right to drive an unlimited number of miles. Problem solved. Don’t like it? Don’t drive.(They’ll still tax the gas, the electricity, the hydrogen, the air…)

This is a very good thing if you are a crooked mechanic who knows how to roll back an odometer.

A mileage tax is a regressive tax. It penalizes those who live a distance from their jobs.Perhaps when there are jobs to be had, that could change, but right now people are driving to where there is work. The wealthiest among us, however, are DRIVEN to work so not only would they not have to pay a mileage tax, they get a tax BREAK because it’s a business expense!The idea that if you don’t like a mileage tax then don’t drive is ludicrous. (Don’t like it? Don’t drive Strawdog, above) How do you get to work if you don’t have access to public transit? On the non-existent railways that the GOP says are pork?? Find a job closer to home? Good idea – though not a real practical suggestion since half a million people are losing their jobs each month!I’m with Web Dunce – here in CT we pay personal property taxes on motor vehicles (based on the value of the car times the town’s mil rate). In other places, those taxes are based on the vehicle’s weight. I’m already paying high state & federal gas taxes – I should pay more because I made the responsible decision to buy a car that gets over 30 MPG?Tax breaks & incentives for buying hybrids – ok, although most of us can’t afford to buy a new car right now in order to get those breaks.

SillyGit – you’re right, and I used lazy language. EasyPass is shorthand for 3 different ideas I had.1. Actual EasyPass – for people who don’t mind it, it’s already in existence.2. More weighted toll stops – vehicle weight determines toll rate.3. taximeter version – prepaid device that works the way the odometer works – tallies miles, and deducts as needed – gives you a warning sign when its time to buy more, and triggers tickets if you keep driving without refill.QT

QTThey already track you via your cell phone. And even when it’s off, the microphone is still on.That’s why Ari FuckinFleischole said Americans should be very careful of what they say.Get your news from Democracy Now! rather than the relatively empty echo chamber that is HuffPo.

Nate,We’re going to have a government, whether you like it or not. Might as well try to make it accountable, efficient, helpful — in short, worthwhile.I would like this country (which I’m delighted to have been born into) to be one with an infrastructure that doesn’t hinder life and commerce, and an educated, healthy citizenry. Call me crazy, but I believe those things make my life better.I can either take my ball and go home and wish the assholes of the world would just cooperate, or I can do my best to get involved and make sure the money I pay goes toward those ends. I am not prepared to go out and pave and maintain a few hundred feet of road myself in hopes that my fellow citizens will do the same and I can make it to market and back without a 4×4. Corporations don’t have to be accountable or transparent in any meaningful way, so that’s a no go.Government, with all it’s flaws and dangers is the way to go. Never forget that your taxes pay for not only govt. services, but representation. If you want zero taxes, live in Saudi Arabia.And Gingrich’s “There’s a world that works and a world that doesn’t” schtick regarding public vs. private enterprise doesn’t much hold up these days does it?

This points out a serious flaw in our tax policies. On the one hand we are told to conserve, drive less, turn down the heat etc. Then when we do that, revenues fall and the government has to find new sources of revenue, electric companies petition for a rate hike etc. Last summer even with just a slight drop in driving percentage, the hallowed highway fund (paid via the gas tax) just about (or did) run out of money.

nate -

Woodrow Wilson (probably your hero) and FDR kicked off the decline of our freedom a long time ago.

Please describe what they actually did that is a concrete example of something that lessened our freedoms. Your nebulous statement about the decline of freedom is just a spurious allegation of a misdeed that you attribute to them. I disagree with your allegation as stated. You will have to provide evidence to support it.Your evidence better be pretty strong since we just completed a criminal administration that instituted an unconstitutional program of warrantless wiretapping of all phone and internet connections of all americans. This program is being called the largest single loss of freedom in U.S. history by constitutional scholars. Fascists love to spy on everyone.

I really don’t understand why you wouldn’t want to pay less taxes, refuse support people who exploit the welfare system, and be responsible for your own life?

I don’t mind paying taxes. It’s my duty as a citizen. It provides for the common defense and promotes the general welfare. I object only when my tax dollars are wasted on unnecessary invasions and occupations of foreign sovereign nations. I want schools, roads and highways, libraries and all of the other things that can only be supported by a society of individuals. These sorts of endeavors are known as socialism. If you wish to give socialism some overly dramatic evil theme music, that is your personal problem, not mine.I keep hearing about these evil lowlifes that exploit the welfare system. This is so fucked up on so many levels.Firstly, the welfare system that you *think* exists does not. Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) is the only welfare we have. This system exists so that the children of the underemployed do not starve. AFDC was started in the 1930s because the widows and children of killed on the job coal minors and steel workers were literally starving to death because their breadwinner got killed in highly unsafe workplaces. You, on the other hand, think we should have let them starve. Nice.Please show evidence that there are people exploiting this system. The current stats I see show that the fraud rate is pretty low. This is a continuous right wing propaganda talking point. It is always stated without proof because no proof exists. Another faith based ‘conservative’ position.I *am* responsibly for my own life. When my neighbor asks for my help I give it to him if I can. If I see a lost child in a store, I escort them to the customer service desk. If I see people with flat tires, I offer my assistance.You live in a society of fellow humans but you take no social responsibility. If you don’t understand the inherent socialism aspects of living in such a modern society then you should become a hermit. You can’t have it both ways. Either share the responsibility you have towards fellow members of the society or leave the society.If you are ever drowning in a river, I’ll be sure to not throw you a rope because you are responsible for yourself and see no reason why citizens should help one another.I suspect that you don’t understand us because we are not self centered pricks.

Drumming up the waste that goes to “welfare queens” has been a core tactic for years. It was a brilliant way to keep the poor in line by making them hate the really poor. Is there waste in social programs? You bet there is. But there is also a lot of good that comes out of giving people a helping hand. It wasn’t my fault my parents screwed up and lost everything. The free lunch and other programs that helped them get back on there feet allowed me to become a productive member of society. Isn’t it peculiar that the same people who tout religious conservatism are against programs to help their neighbors?

Back to the waste topic: How much waste do you think there is in the defense outlays? I spent 27 years on active duty (started as an E-1 and retired as a senior officer) and the simple answer is tons. But for some reason, contractors sucking billions from the government trough isn’t bad.

SillyGit, may I just say… Snip snap! Well done, you old pole cat, you old so-and-so!

nate -I almost forgot this one:

Sooo…we can’t change our TV’s from analog to digital, and you expect our government to pull this off…ok…

You really are clueless aren’t you?The delay in the switch over has nothing to do with the government. The ALMIGHTY PRIVATE SECTOR that is always more efficient and much, much better than anything a communist corrupt government can do is at fault here. Not all of those private sector rocket scientist managed (you know, all the ones run by idiots like the ones that just collapsed our economy) broadcast stations were not ready to switch. Even though they’ve had over five years to get ready for it.To further demonstrate your ignorance. All of the PBS stations switched over on the sceduled date since they saw no reason to wait. Only the broadcasters run by spazzy white guys were not ready.Only a Rethuglican would blame the government for the faults of private industry. Next time Rupert Murdoch asks for a delay, we’ll tell him to fuck himself.Try again asshat.

Giving your hard earned money to the government in the form of taxes supposes that they know better how to spend the money than you do. As you all know that is rarely, if ever the case, as gov’t waste is legendary. Our tax system is so complex it is mind boggling. Geitner can’t even get it right. Why not just follow the KISS method, and explore the flat tax; everybody pays the same percentage. It’s fair and simple. The less you make, the less you pay. The more you make the more you pay, but it is always the same percent. There should be a certain minimum income level before the tax kicks in to protect the poorest people. What do you think?