So Virgina just past a transportation bill that will up the fee for registering hybrid, electric, and alternative fuel vehicles. Expect to see a lot more of this.
So many state transportation bills rely heavily on gas taxes, as do federal bills. On the one hand we want people moving to more fuel efficient vehicles but on the other hand a reduction in consumption is a reduction in revenue. People have to pay for their fair share for the wear-and-tear of the infrastructure. The gas tax no longer provides funding that is proportional to use. Technology is to the point where we could easily move to a pure usage tax for the roads. Why don’t we?