Topic: How would you like to pay for that, sir?

[Stephen M]

You may have heard the ruckus this week over Singapore's (possibly correct) application of emissions fees to a Tesla owner. If not, here's the background:

http://www.techspot.com/news/64063-singapore-first-tesla-model-s-owner-hit-11000.html

In the states the traditional road-funding mechanism has been a tax on gasoline, and a comparatively smaller annual registration/license fee for the vehicle itself. This approach breaks down as more and more cars use less and less gasoline. Putting the environmental issue aside, or perhaps just in back seat, how would you prefer to pay for your road use?

[Ultra]

Walter Block has wrote the book that details how it's to be done. Privatize the roads!!!


Read the book here:

https://mises.org/files/privatization-roads-and-highways2pdf/download?token=iNj7y29w

[Paul Jaray]

I think the actual system works pretty good: you pay for your gasoline.
The more you use, the more you pay.
There are professionists who works with cars and this seems to be not fair, but they can always raise their fees to increase the income.
I don't think there will ever be a respect for the environment that will move people to pay more, and new taxes are never welcome.

[Allan L]

In the UK we have had a regime of high fuel Duty for many decades, and in later times we have also paid Value Added Tax (VAT) on both the fuel and the Duty.
Since the Second War Vehicle Excise Duty (Road Tax) for private cars was at a flat rate until a Chacellor of the Exchequer decided to "make the polluter pay" having not noticed that the taxes on fuel did just that - and did it very well and was unavoidable.
He (Gordon Brown) introduced a regime of Vehicle Excise Duty dependent of "Carbon Emission" which is fuel consumption by another name, so high (nominal) consumption vehicles are hit twice.

[Stephen M]

Privatize the roads!!!

Somewhat of a recent precedent for this near me. The last few large highway expansions have been so called "private-public" partnerships. Private companies build the roads, then charge a toll that they split with the local government. The government's main contribution to the effort seems to be imminent domain authority and sovereign immunity. Further thoughts on that would stray from general automotive, so I'll leave it at that.

It IS a nice road, though.

[Ultra]

Privatize the roads!!!

Somewhat of a recent precedent for this near me. The last few large highway expansions have been so called "private-public" partnerships. Private companies build the roads, then charge a toll that they split with the local government. The government's main contribution to the effort seems to be imminent domain authority and sovereign immunity. Further thoughts on that would stray from general automotive, so I'll leave it at that.

It IS a nice road, though.

I strongly encourage you to read the book I linked in my first post.  Goes into great detail, uses examples of how it's been done in many places and details how the marginal utility of the roads improve under privatization. 

It truly is a must read.

[Otto Puzzell]

I've found the I-80 turnpike through Ohio to be in virtually perfect repair whenever I have used it, and for a nominal, mileage-based toll. And since the gasoline tax in Ohio is less than it is in my home state, the net cost is about the same.

Carbon taxes and "we the people don't like your vehicle choice" taxes are the predictably silly result of wind-blown public opinion and government fiat.