PRC Launches Pilot Program Which Will Charge Tax Per Mile Driven

I wonder why they would do this, beyond the norm of the Elites in the People’s Republik Of California always wanted to bleed their citizens dry

California launching pilot program to charge drivers for miles driven

California is the nation’s biggest EV market by a wide margin, and the relatively high percentage of battery-powered cars is digging a hole in the state’s budget because it relies on revenue from its gasoline tax to fund road maintenance. Lawmakers want to replace the gasoline tax with a new mileage-based tax to offset the loss, and they plan to begin testing this system by launching a pilot program in August 2024.

Lauren Prehoda, a spokesperson for Caltrans, told news outlet ABC7 that maintaining California’s road network costs approximately $8.5 billion annually. “The vast majority” of this sum comes from the taxes that the state collects every time someone fills up their car’s tank. Put another way, California loses money when someone replaces a gasoline-powered car with an EV. Hybrids are eroding the budget as well. State officials estimate that there were about 1.1 million electric cars and 1.3 million hybrids on California roads in 2022.

“On average, Californians pay about $300 a year in state gas taxes. EVs have a $100 [annual] registration fee. That’s a $200-million-a-year-loss,” Prehoda said. Note that California plans to ban the sale of gasoline-powered cars by 2035, so its gas tax revenues will fall to zero. (snip)

In theory, drivers would be able to choose how the state tracks their mileage. They could hook up an electronic device to their car, use the car’s built-in tracking system or send Caltrans a picture of the odometer. “Everyone has different levels of comfort when we’re managing our data between efficiency and privacy, and that’s why it’s really important to have options from low tech to high tech,” Prehoda told ABC7.

Does anyone else see the irony here? The PRC is requiring vehicles to get better and better MPG, and, of course, demanding that citizens switch from fossil fueled vehicles, including hybrids, and get EVs. Because of this, they are not making vast amounts of money from gas taxes, what the Elites see as a “loss”. They caused this. If I dipped way back into the archives during the early Obama years I’d find at least one post on the exact same thing happening when he increased the CAFE standard, causing states to lose not make as much off gas tax.

It’s also hilarious that all those EV owners who are crowing about saving money since they do not have to buy gas will now find themselves paying as much if not more. And you know that the elected officials in the PRC will implement the road miles scheme. I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up requiring Citizens to hook up an electronic device, which will also track their movement.

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