Added fee is unfair

Having recently paid my $100 fine for having the audacity to drive a fuel-efficient car, I think it is time to speak out on the debate over the 2019 Arkansas fuel tax act. The act raised the tax on gasoline by up to 6 cents a gallon to raise money for road maintenance. It also added $100 to the registration fee for hybrids and $200 for all-electric cars. I have heard this defended as “fair,” since those of us with fuel-efficient cars don’t buy as much gas. There are a few holes in that theory.

First, state Sen. Terry Rice, R-Waldron, who sponsored the bill that became Act 416, was quoted in this paper in September 2019 saying that he estimates “the average person with cars with average mileage will spend roughly $15 to $30 a year more in state fuel taxes.” Even if I bought no gasoline, why should he add $100 to my registration fee?

Of course, even a Prius uses some gasoline. My Toyota RAV-4 hybrid averages about 34 mpg, only about 25 percent more than the 27 mpg required for all cars these days. I drive approximately 15,000 miles a year, pretty close to the 13,476 national average (per U.S. Department of Transportation). I did a conservative comparison with an older car getting only 20 mpg. If each car drives 15,000 miles per year, the conventional car pays an added $22.50 per year in gas taxes under the new law. I pay $13.25 annually in more taxes, but I also pay the $100 added registration fee for a total of $113.25. The annual impact under Act 416 is over $90 more for my hybrid than for the conventional car.

That is why I refer to the $100 as a fine. There is nothing fair about it. Until very recently, federal tax code gave an incentive for hybrid and electric cars. Now the state of Arkansas discourages them.

JIM GIFFORD Hot Springs Village