Reader reaction: ‘What’s next? 8 cents every time you flush?’
My recent column in support of replacing the state gas tax with a fee for every mile traveled wasn’t popular with readers.
I didn’t expect it would be. As I said, new ideas are scary, especially new ideas from government that would cost us money.
If you’re just catching up, last Friday the Transportation Revenue Options Commission presented a report to Gov. Tom Wolf and the Legislature with ideas for how to fund road projects and mass transit. The most-ambitious recommendation was to do away with the 58.7-cents-per-gallon gas tax, and instead charge motorists 8.1 cents for every mile they drive.
Here are some of the comments from The Morning Call’s Facebook page:
Bad idea
“I get 20 mpg. Right now I pay the 59 cents per gallon tax. At 8 cents per mile, I’m paying $1.60. That isn’t better.”
— Joe Ryan
“No one will want to do any unnecessary traveling, hence you’ll see a decline in people wanting to visit Pennsylvania as well as Pennsylvania people wanting to go for day trips, visiting parks, etc.
“I’m hoping to move out of Pennsylvania because of all the excess taxing that hurts us citizens and is misused.”
— Anna Alexander Wilson
“What’s next ... 8 cents every time you flush the hopper?”
— William C. Higgins
Can’t trust the government
“I don’t mind paying if the roads and bridges are actually going to be fixed. I’m tired of passing bridges that have been closed for a number of years that have 15 workers on site, watching the one who is doing the work.”
— Sandra Lohrman Beyer
“The gas tax might disappear but they’ll bring it back some way, don’t worry about that. I just wish they’d use the current gas tax money for intended purposes, fixing the roads and bridges instead of everything else they are using it for.”
— Tom Staruch
“Don’t fall for this. When the state needs money they’ll bring the gas tax back — probably in a midnight session so that very few people are aware of it.”
— John Quigley
Don’t punish efficient drivers
“Isn’t that going to be unfair to people with fuel-efficient and electric cars that the government is pushing?”
— John B. Rodger Jr.
What’s next?
“So if we are going this route, taxing only those using the roads; we should then seriously re-examine the school taxes.”
— Ann Warner Connolly
Your questions answered
Several readers raised good questions that I did not address in my previous column, so I’ll respond to a few of them here.
Would Pennsylvania drivers be charged for miles driven out of state?
No. A reciprocity program would have to be established between states, to make sure the states where the driving occurred would be paid the mileage fee.
That’s a big issue that would need to be worked out to make the proposal a reality. It would require action from the federal government, PennDOT spokeswoman Alexis Campbell told me.
Why should cars pay the same rate as trucks?
Truck traffic is harder on roads than cars, so trucks should pay a higher fee per mile, several readers suggested.
That’s a good point. If the state Legislature were to support a fee, it should consider that, though I’m sure the trucking industry would fight hard against it.
How would the mileage be calculated?
That is something else the Legislature would have to determine.
Campbell said options include inserting a device in vehicles or capturing mileage during annual vehicle inspections. New cars could have telematic capabilities built in, especially if a vehicle-miles-traveled fee is adopted nationwide.
The plan would be unfair to rural folks.
Another valid concern. People who don’t live in urban areas drive farther to the store, school, work, doctor and other places. So they would pay more than other motorists.
The Legislature could consider that, too, if it were to follow through with the recommendation. Perhaps there could be a tiered rate, based on the population of a county. Rural counties may not need as much transportation funding, either.
I’m a realist. I recognize there is little chance that Pennsylvania officials will change the transportation funding system, at least not anytime soon. No politicians want to have their names attached to a tax hike, which is what moving to a fee system would amount to for a lot of people.
But the Legislature needs to start looking toward the future.
If you’d like to learn more about this issue, I suggest you read the report from the Transportation Revenue Options Commission, here.