Hybrids could pay more gas tax

Don't we live by the golden rule? The one with the gold makes the rules.

 

The logic of this proposal is faulty. The very reason for these fuel efficient vehicles is reduced emmissions and lower operating costs. If you tamper with the per gallon tax, which is extremely efficient, you introduce another laborious bureaucracy. The existing tax per gallon is just and any of this tampering, such as Oregon's governor is trying, is wrong headed.

 

Yes, people are quitting smoking. I can't find a link but if my memory over the course of my lifetime is serving me accurately I think that smoking has dropped from about 33% of the population down to about 23%.

 

That's more historical than recent, and has little bearing on these newer taxes:

Source

IOW, the dangers of smoking as they became known got a lot of people to quit smoking, but not all. The higher taxes don't seem to have affected the rate noticeably.
Also from the same list:

(They're replenishing the supply quite readily.)

There are more former smokers than current smokers.

But, it is encouraging that since Bush has been in office, it has dropped a little bit: Percentage of the U.S. Population that smokes

However, one thing that most people overlook is that 29.2% of the population used tobacco. This includes smoking, smokeless tobacco, etc. The use of smokeless tobacco is on the rise, particularly among young people.

 

I think having a tax based on mileage to cover the costs of road maintenance is a good thing. Maybe it should be charged when cars are resold or dumped and the mileage measured. Although that would encourage a lot of illegal car dumping. Calling it a gas tax is probably a bad idea though. Mileage tax?

All of us hate toll roads, but it does make sense that users of roads should be the ones paying for their maintenance.

 

There's a major rebellion brewing in Texas, over toll roads. Seems that the Governor and the legislature spent the fund that was meant to build and maintain roads.

Of course they had pledged "no new taxes." Solution? Toll roads.

"See, it's really not a new tax, even though the government is now charging you twice for the roads you drive on. It's a revenue enhancement."

Governor Froot Loop is sufficiently scared of the backlash that he's decided to give us "free driving" on the one near my house until after the elections. Yep, he's depending on voters being morons.

We'll see. (I suspect that he's got a good chance of being right)

 

Good idea in theory; however, we all know that gasoline taxes won't be rolled backto compensate--so we'll end up paying more taxes.

 

I hate smoking. But I love the smoker.:thumbs: :godisgood:

 

The problem is that when the taxes become high enough then it will cause a huge surge in the black market for cigarettes. If you think our government is pretty much impotent to stop illegal drugs now just wait to see how poorly it does in trying to stop illegal tobacco trade.

 

No point in trying. Tobacco is more addictive than heroin. Tax it excessively, and those who can quit, will.

 

3-page warning: This thread will be closed no sooner than 1:00 a.m. ET by one of the moderators.

Lady Eagle,
Moderator

 

It already is taxed excessively, but there are still millions of smokers. And it is relatively easy to get black market cigarettes from truck drivers from the southeast. Also, if cigarettes were my choice of a smoke [they ain't], I would buy them in bulk on Indian reservations.

 

Closed per previous warning. LE