Texas Mulls Alternatives to the Gas Tax
Over the next several months, hundreds of electric and plug-in hybrid cars will arrive in Texas cities. The vehicles will emit little pollution and generally be far cheaper to operate than conventional vehicles. For the state government, however, the advent of alternative-fuel vehicles creates a long-term concern: They will generate little or no gas tax revenue — a key funding source that the state relies on to keep roads and bridges in good repair.
Texas has not raised its gasoline tax since 1991, despite a fast-swelling population and rising costs of road construction (especially for materials such as steel and asphalt ...
Comments (4)
Brian Edwards
"The vehicles will emit little pollution and generally be far cheaper to operate than conventional vehicles." No one seems to address in depth the issue of increased electric consumtion by home owners and businesses in order to charge the vehicles. You may be reducing your carbon footprint by reducing the amount of gaoline burned but you increase your carbon foot print through your increase in electrical consumption in the form of the electric company having to produce more electricity. Not to mention the second and thrid order effects of a national grid that is stretched to the limit during the summer by the increase usage of air conditioners.
Part of the problem by Texas and the inability to collect taxes is that they have set a flat rate instead of a percentage. My guess is that possibly a flat rate permits an easier formulation to project future income when previous consumption is analyzed. The rate should be defined as a precentage rate instead of a flat rate.
Other issues may involve increasing the registration fees of vehicles or permitting a lower registration rate for the first vehicle but increased registration rates for additional vehicles per driver's license number. Enforcing vehicle registration requirements; how many vehicle owners live in Texas but have their vehicles registered in other states that do not have either/or safety and emmision inspections? And also what about vehicle insurance requirements for vehicles from Mexico?
Brian Edwards
One more thought...
Why continue to pave roads? Several counties in other states are experimenting with the removal of pavement and returning to gravel. They are noticing a reduction in speeding related accidents, and a reduction in maintenance costs; it is easier and more economical to repair dirt/gravel roads than paved roads (per mile).
Tim Gahagan
Why is no one addressing the same with Bicycles? With Electric Cars we still get the Registration, Inspection Taxes. With Bicycles, we get none of this. When I have a Hot Rod that I drive 5 times a year, on the weekends, I still have to pay registration (road tax). Yet there are hundred of thousands of bicycles that are using our road ways for ZERO dollars. The argument of "well they all have a car and pay" does not hold water, as that applies to my "hot rod". On the worse side, for Bicycles, almost none of them pay any attention to traffic laws, run red lights, all in down town traffic. They are not required to carry insurance, so if they are in a collision, they do not pay if at fault. This all adds up to a huge burden on all other drivers, much like Electric Cars, but at least Electric ones pay something.
Viola Perry
Governor Perry sideswiped 60 million dollars to straighten out the books for the audit where it shows he put us in the hole for 20 billion dollars. Now he is looking to make this amount up. Gas is expensive already and people are using 100,000 barrels a week less
and that was one week ago before the prices jumped again. Car insurance is way too expensive and needs to be dropped so everyone can afford it. How much more can they take from the little person, there isn't enough left to eat and housing. Retail and food employees work in intermittent categories, getting 3 to 19 hours per week and some have to have 2 or 3 jobs just to get by. How idiotic is this. This should be for the rich only, heck they don't even pay taxes!