I commented yesterday about the silly idea, being promoted by a few politicians, to impose a tax on toilet paper. That post mostly was an opportunity to have some fun mocking greedy government because even a dour pessimist like me doesn’t expect that idea to get very far.
But there’s a new tax idea that sounds equally absurd, but actually is a much greater threat to taxpayers. The bureaucrats at the Congressional Budget Office have issued a report suggesting a tax based on the number of miles driven. Since such a tax almost surely (despite initial assertions to the contrary) would be in addition to existing gas taxes, this would be a way for politicians to grab more of our money.
But that’s not the only thing we should worry about. To impose such a tax, the government obviously would need the ability to track our vehicle usage. At the risk of stating the obvious, my driving patters are not the government’s business.
Here’s a blurb from a report in The Hill.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) this week released a report that said taxing people based on how many miles they drive is a possible option for raising new revenues and that these taxes could be used to offset the costs of highway maintenance at a time when federal funds are short. The report discussed the proposal in great detail, including the development of technology that would allow total vehicle miles traveled (VMT) to be tracked, reported and taxed, as well as the pros and cons of mandating the installation of this technology in all vehicles. …The report was requested by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), who held a hearing on transportation funding in early March. In that hearing, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the Obama administration is hoping to spend $556 billion over the next six years, much of which would go to federal transportation improvement projects. Conrad said in response that federal funds are tight, and in asking for recommendations on how to raise that money, he noted the possibility of a VMT tax as a way to solve the problem of collecting less in taxes as people move to more fuel-efficient vehicles.
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[…] Don’t forget that the politicians in Washington also are considering a tax on miles driven, so they’d be able to squeeze more money out of motorists even if they have fuel-efficient […]
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Oy vey!
Here’s an idea for a competition Dan: See who can think of the stupidest idea/justification for raising and/or spending taxes. The winner is the person whose idea is first to seriously be proposed on Capitol Hill.
My entry may sound a little extreme, but I believe one day soon they’re going to stop literally ‘flushing’ taxpayer dollars piecemeal and just cut to the chase:
Additional taxes will be needed to fuel a large cash-bonfire in the National Mall. It will be of public benefit because politicians, public sector *cough* workers, the homeless, publicly-funded artists et al, will be able to go there and toast marshmallows and sing ‘Kum ba yah’ whenever they want. It will foster a feeling of community, and bring people together in an atmosphere Washington is already famous for.
Those in the Private Sector will be charged admission at the gate, and required to BYO fuel and marshmallows. “The rich” will be held by their ankles and shaken. Those funds will contribute to the costs of offsetting carbon emissions and will be paid to Al Gore so one of his companies can … i dunno … plant trees somewhere or something … details – pfft!
Don’t worry about the effect on the money supply, the Fed will be happy to reprint anything that gets burned, so this is a sustainable project.
I know people will say, “Don’t give them ideas”, but I think they’re way past needed any help from us. We’re amateurs by comparison.
My odometer is broke on all my cars. No way.
Liberals are very creative in coming up with ways to grab more of our hard earned money. Why is it so difficult for them to use their creativity to make government live within its means. TEA-stop the insanity.
I agree this is absurd. However, to dismiss it as just “greedy politicians” seems too easy. I don’t know a lot about Kent Conrad, but I’d like to think that he does want to do highway projects because he thinks its the right thing to do, not because he is greedy.
I would love to know how an idea as absurd as this makes into a CBO report. Is it the result of lobbying from a company that would develop the software to monitor mileage? Is it lobbying from a group or corporation that would like to see our driving habits monitored (for harmless or nefarious reasons)? Or is it simply because the government strives to find the most complicated solution to a problem?
Would love to see something like this tracked from idea inception to law, not sure if its possible though.