Oregon Going Ahead With Plan To Tax Drivers By How Many Miles They Drive

Not on how much gas they use

Oregon is moving ahead with a controversial plan to tax motorists based on the number of miles they drive as opposed to the amount of fuel they consume, raising myriad concerns about cost and privacy.

The program, springing out of a recently signed bill, is expected to launch in 2015 on a volunteer basis. But it's charting relatively new territory, and other states aching for additional tax revenue are sure to be watching closely to see whether to imitate the model.

Comments

[Scarecrow Repair]

This seems like it should be incredibly easy to bypass. Before you start the car for any long drives, either disconnect the GPS gizmo (if it has no always on connection to the battery) or shield its antenna (to simulate being indoors), and reverse when you get back.

I assume they don't want to use annual odometer readings because it wouldn't be specific as to county and would not differentiate out of state travel.

[OregonB]

Ah, Oregon, My Oregon. A lovely state locked into a genial slow growth mode thanks to one-party rule.
We aren't trusted to make U-turns because it makes for a good ticketing opportunity. We can't pump our own gas - because of course so many people die in the US from service station explosions. And we have to buy state-controlled liquor in special stores because everyone knows if it was sold in Safeway we'd get hammered in the parking lot unloading the cart.
The state troopers don't bother to cruise the highways anymore, they just park behind overpasses aiming their lasers, earning the bucks to pay for state employees' retirements.
But at least we look good while our jobs disappear.