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.
Continue reading “Democrats get you going and coming: propose taxes on toilet paper and every mile you drive”
