Kulongoski [and Congress ] trying to pursue "per mile" GPS gas tax

Democrat Herald

In an effort to make up for vehicles getting better gas mileage and for the lack of income (tax) that they produce, Kulongoski has filed for the 2009 legislative session a plan that he recommends as "a path to transition away from the gas tax as the central funding source for transportation."

What the governor is referring to is the Office of Innovative Partnerships and Alternative Funding "Road User Fee Task Force" or RUFTF {link}, a system which would be installed in every vehicle to replace the current gas tax system.

The GPS-based system would basically track miles driven within the state of Oregon. The per mile tax rate would be based on the location, time of day and congestion. The tax itself would be paid at the time of fill-up.

Vehicles that are not equipped with the GPS device would pay a penalty of two cents per gallon under Kulongoski proposal.

as you recall, I have been against this project from its beginning. Not only will it cost drivers more in the long run as per the current system of paying per gallon, this system is also a variable tax system. Additionally, since we seem to be in cooperation with Washington and California, there is nothing that says that the system will only be active in Oregon.

For more information on the project and its intricate details... please refer to the following link {link}

Follow-up article…

Oregon is among a growing number of states exploring ways to tax drivers based on the distance they drive instead of how much gas they use, even going so far as to install GPS monitoring devices in 300 vehicles... Congress is talking about it, too. A congressional commission has envisioned a system similar to the prototype Oregon tested in 2006-07.{Edmonton Sun}

Though the GPS devices did not track the cars’ locations in great detail, they could determine when a driver had left certain zones, such as the state of Oregon. They also kept track of the time the driving was done, so a premium could be charged for rush-hour mileage.{the Argus Observer}

See!

and lets not forget "Toll Roads too"