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   From: NOT-SURE@idiocracy.gov   
      
   On 1/20/23 9:05 PM, Ubiquitous wrote:   
   > Hybrid drivers pay twice   
   >   
   > With each gallon of gas pumped in the United States since 1932, drivers   
   > have been paying taxes. The revenue is used for road repairs and public   
   > transportation such as train and bus systems.   
   >   
   > Currently, the Fed takes 18.4 cents per gallon for gas or 24.4 cents   
   > per gallon for diesel. State gas taxes range from a national high of 61   
   > cents for gas in Pennsylvania, to a low of 8.95 cents in Alaska.   
   >   
   > But environmentally motivated improvements in fuel efficiency and the   
   > move to electric vehicles (EVs) translate to less gas sold, resulting   
   > less tax revenue collected.   
   >   
   > State and federal governments are looking for a new way to fund   
   > transportation. Through numerous studies by transportation   
   > organizations, they have landed on mileage-based user fees (MBUF);   
   > vehicle miles traveled fees (VMT); road user charges (RUCs), or highway   
   > use fees (HUF). The acronyms all mean the same thing: Drivers pay a tax   
   > for each mile traveled.   
   >   
   > “All vehicles are going farther on less gas, and that is great for our   
   > wallets, especially with the gas prices going up. But it’s not so good   
   > when our transportation system is dependent on that fuel tax,” Trish   
   > Hendren, executive director of the Eastern Transportation Coalition,   
   > told The Epoch Times. “The link between usage and payment is broken.”   
   >   
   > The coalition describes itself as a partnership of 17 states and   
   > Washington, D.C., focused on connecting public agencies across modes of   
   > travel to increase safety and efficiency. Member states in the   
   > coalition include Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia,   
   > Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North   
   > Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, and Virginia.   
   >   
   > But the move to user-based fees is a nationwide effort being discussed   
   > in every state. Oregon, Utah, and Virginia have already implemented   
   > pilot programs.   
   >   
   > At least 31 states have laws requiring a special registration fee for   
   > plug-in electric vehicles. Of those, 18 states also assess a fee on   
   > plug-in hybrid vehicles, according to the National Conference of State   
   > Legislatures.   
   >   
   > Fee for EV and Gas Power   
   > Virginia implemented a new highway use fee for electric and high-   
   > efficiency gas vehicles in 2020, in addition to its existing vehicle   
   > license registration. The HUF is around $20 and is calculated based, in   
   > part, on a vehicle’s fuel efficiency.   
   >   
   > In 2022, the state started offering Virginia’s Mileage Choice Program,   
   > a pilot program giving drivers paying the HUF the option to pay on a   
   > per-mile basis. They save money if they drive less than 11,600 miles,   
   > the average driven per year by all Virginians. Miles are recorded by a   
   > device installed on a person’s car and connected to a smartphone.   
   > Programs in Oregon and Utah are similar.   
   >   
   > “The longer-term vision for a distance-based fee is it will replace the   
   > fuel tax,” Hendren said. But for now, those who drive high-efficiency   
   > gas vehicles often pay twice: both at the gas pump and with the HUF. In   
   > Virginia, drivers with fuel-efficient vehicles getting 25 miles per   
   > gallon or greater must pay the HUF.   
   >   
   > In Utah, all plug-in hybrid and gas hybrid vehicles must pay the Road   
   > Usage Charge, ranging from $21.75–$56.50. EV owners who don’t buy gas   
   > pay $130.25 a year.   
   >   
   > In Oregon, the vehicle registration fee is based on fuel efficiency.   
   > The better the mileage (the less gas used), the higher the cost of   
   > registration. But those with high-efficiency vehicles can enroll in   
   > OreGO and get a registration discount. OreGO participants pay 1.9 cents   
   > for each mile driven, and the money goes to the state highway fund. A   
   > device on the vehicle tracks miles driven, and drivers of fuel-powered   
   > vehicles can receive a credit for fuel tax and remote emissions   
   > testing, the OreGO website says.   
   >   
   > “This is a very challenging topic to talk about because nobody likes   
   > talking about paying for transportation,” Hendren said. “We all like   
   > the transportation that we use but paying for it is a hard   
   > conversation.”   
   >   
   > Public Resistance   
   > Studies recognize that drivers are concerned about privacy and a new   
   > tax, and offer analysis on what opposition a mileage fee would face.   
   >   
   > “Consumer perception and messaging surrounding what many vehicle owners   
   > may see as a new ‘fee’ must also be studied before any largescale   
   > rollout of an MBUF program,” a 2019 study by the Mobility 21 U.S. DOT   
   > University National Transportation Center said. The study noted that   
   > there are privacy considerations, and said it was an unsolved issue.   
   > “In addition to the intricacies of program design, several   
   > technological challenges also exist. For example, DOT’s must collect   
   > mileage data from each vehicle, for each type of road that vehicle   
   > travels on, but would still require to do so in a manner that protects   
   > the privacy of drivers.”   
   >   
   > Some studies attempted to minimize the privacy concern by showing other   
   > ways people are already being tracked.   
   >   
   > “Even if you were tracking with GPS, my phone and other apps do that as   
   > well. I use E-Z Pass on toll roads and that tracks me,” a New Jersey   
   > focus group participant was quoted in a November 2022 report of the   
   > Georgia Joint Study Committee of Electrification on Transportation.   
   >   
   > The number of people concerned about privacy dropped dramatically after   
   > participating in a pilot mileage program in Pennsylvania, Delaware,   
   > North Carolina, and New Jersey, a study of the Eastern Transportation   
   > Coalition found, Hendren said.   
   >   
   > Developers expect a third party, not the government, will keep track of   
   > where drivers go, and how much they owe, and some studies have   
   > indicated that because a third party is doing the tracking, the data is   
   > safe from government eyes. The data would go to a government contractor   
   > that would deduct the amount owed from a user’s credit card and pay it   
   > to the states where the vehicle had been.   
   >   
   > Federal Directive to Increase Revenue   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)