You have to give Oregon Democrat Earl Blumenauer credit for being creative. He’s introducing tax concepts that no one else in Washington, DC has the guts or stupidity to propose.
A few weeks ago Blumenauer proposed a tax on toilet paper. Now he’s introduced a bill that to study vehicle miles traveled (VMT) as a supplement or possible replacement for the current per-gallon fuel tax.
Of course, the bill doesn’t specify what happens to the existing fuel tax if a VMT program were adopted. But we’re willing to go out on a limb here and guess that the VMT will somehow end up as an additional tax, not a replacement tax.
Not everyone is enamored with the idea. In fact, we’d guess that most people hate it. For example:
“The current system of levying federal taxes on trucks is as discriminatory as it can be to small business, and harmful, but there are lots of unanswered questions with a VMT. And those questions need to be resolved before we start launching down that path,” said Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) Executive VP Todd Spencer said.
Blumenauer, of course, sees images of all those uncaptured, untaxed dollars dancing in his head.
“America’s infrastructure needs critical investments now,’ Blumenauer said, “and with the Highway Trust Fund flirting with a dangerous deficit, we need innovative solutions that will create a steady source of revenue.”
How about if the Democrats fund the development of a giant machine that will pick taxpayers up by their feet, hang them upside down and shake them until every cent in their pockets falls to the ground.
Then Earl Blumenauer can run around squealing like a schoolgirl while he picks it all up.
Source: Gateway Pundit
