‘Miles Tax’ Idea Crosses the Line

Re “New DMV Chief Backs Tax by Mile,” Nov. 16: What incredible nonsense. This is much worse than the license fee increase that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ran against. The gas tax is the state’s means of taxing for roads and highways. It rightly discourages gas-guzzlers. Placing mileage-measuring devices on all vehicles is absurd. Over the years, the government has siphoned off some of the gas tax for other purposes, such as mass transit. Let’s go back to having the gas tax pay for roads and highways only. Or, if they must increase gas taxes, do it up front. We elected Schwarzenegger as governor to put a stop to subterfuges and provide honest, upfront government. Please, Mr. Governor, don’t do this.

Lyman Burgmeier

Cypress

*

Since 1998 we have consumed 8% less gas, but driven 16% more miles, and this is a problem? If anything, this means we have been making wiser choices in the cars we drive, going farther and polluting less. Insofar as the gasoline tax raises the long-term cost difference between less and more efficient automobiles, fuel efficiency will be a factor in choosing the automobiles we drive. Anything to dilute this differential, such as a tax on mileage, would diminish the consideration drivers would give to the fuel efficiency of the car they drive.

The California Transportation Commission estimates the funding shortfall for road and freeway repairs at $100 billion. Installing a mileage tax to address this shortfall sounds like a tall order to me, being that our revenue from the gas tax is only $3.3 billion. With a shortfall like this, maybe new Department of Motor Vehicles Director Joan Borucki will need a bond or two to go along with that mileage tax of hers.

Michael Zacharia

La Mirada

*

The DMV chief’s suggested miles tax is unacceptable. It is both regressive and costly to institute.

Just as with sales taxes, a miles tax is cruel to the purchasing power of smaller incomes. Government should not be run on regressive taxes. The personal income tax is already in place, only the rates need changing, not a new tax. I’ll pay a percentage tax increase on my modest income if the overpaid government officials pay the same on theirs.

The income tax doesn’t inflate prices and cannot be passed along to others. Besides being very regressive, the miles tax will add to the cost of government to set up the equipment, monitor the system, and for billing. Is this the way to cut the cost of government?

Carol Clever

Torrance

*

If the state is worried about vehicles breaking up roads, set license fees by vehicle weight, as many other states do, not by assumed value. The expensive tracking system advocated by the DMV chief seems ripe for errors or fraud. Of course, one could just raise the gasoline tax if the state needs more money. (I can’t believe I’m saying this.)

R.A. Rosien

Los Angeles