Bumpy Ride for ‘Tax-by-Mile’ Plan

Re “DMV Chief Backs Tax by Mile,” Nov. 16: Charging people by the mile in lieu of an existing gasoline tax rewards the wasting of valuable resources and perpetuates our reliance on fossil fuels; worse, it dangerously postpones the needed changes in our energy policies. And, speaking relatively, that is the good news. My greatest concern is that we (the people) would give any intelligent consideration to personal mileage tracking systems.

There are serious civil rights concerns here: It is not much of a leap from tracking how many miles we drive to where we drive. I know this political climate has given birth to those who believe that our civil liberties are negotiable. But just wait until these types of private information (e.g., mileage and route tracking, e-mail eavesdropping, DNA sampling from arrestees) are improperly imposed upon your life.

Jay B. Litvak

Costa Mesa

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Penalizing drivers of fuel-efficient cars is a step in the wrong direction. Why not merely add a few cents to the tax on gas?

Arthur Cohen

Los Angeles

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I read that the new Department of Motor Vehicles director wants to base transportation taxes on mileage instead of the amount of fuel purchased. This has four negative effects: (1) It discourages conservation of scarce petroleum resources by eliminating the advantage of purchasing a low-mileage or alternative fuel automobile. (2) It is a regressive tax, punishing those who, through no fault of their own, must drive long distances to low-paying jobs, while rewarding more affluent motorists who drive high-mileage sport utility and other such vehicles. (3) It raises privacy concerns. (4) It will raise the cost of collecting the tax with an expensive addition to every automobile in the state, instead of the current cheap and automatic system of taxing the amount of fuel used at the pump.

Alan Crawford

Arcadia

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If Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s new DMV director, Joan Borucki, thinks the gas tax is inadequate to fund highway maintenance, tax cars based on weight, not miles driven. The recently paved street in front of the elementary school in my neighborhood is already a wreck along the curb where all the SUVs park each day. The fuel-efficient cars that weigh half of what the governor’s Hummer weighs are not the ones tearing up the road, no matter how far they travel.

Dawn Charouhas

Valencia

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A “tax-by-mile” scenario would work well, and would be a fair way to administer a use tax. I applaud the new DMV chief for recognizing this issue early in her tenure. There are minor concerns for the viability of fuel-efficient vehicles in a scenario in which their fuel efficiency is less rewarded, but that is a surmountable problem.

However, there is a serious miscalculation related to the GPS-based solution. I have a news flash: Yes, most people are concerned about civil liberties. That consultants suggest otherwise burns their credibility right to the ground.

Ken Neely

Pomona