Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[EV owners in WA to pay extra $100 annual fee]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2012/12/30/ev-owners-in-wa-to-pay-extra-100-annual-fee/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/12/30/ev-owners-in-wa-to-pay-extra-100-annual-fee/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/12/30/ev-owners-in-wa-to-pay-extra-100-annual-fee/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Anyone purchasing an EV in the state of Washington will have to pay an extra $100 with their registration - a bit counter-intuitive, considering that the government generally promotes EV purchases with incentives. You see, owners of gasoline-powered vehicles in WA pay an annual gasoline tax, and this new EV fee ensures that all drivers pay for the annual upkeep of roads.

According to the new rule, vehicles powered by electricity and capable of speeds in excess of 35 miles per hour will have to pay $100 with their registration, starting on or after February 1, 2013. "$100 isn't that big of a deal, but it's not well-balanced policy," says Jay Friedland, legislative director of Plug In America. "EV drivers really want to pay their fair share," he continued,"but it seems ridiculous from a policy standpoint."

It does seem incongruous due to the fact that the state offers tax exemptions for the purchase of EVs. It should also be noted that the new fee provides for "evaluating the feasibility of transitioning from a revenue collection system based on fuel taxes to a road user assessment system." For us, it might be a moment of bureaucratic irony, but for EV drivers in Washington state, its $100 more out of their pocket.

EV owners in WA to pay extra $100 annual fee originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 30 Dec 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>electric vehiclesev taxevsgasoline taxhybridcars.comwawashingtonwashington ev taxSun, 30 Dec 2012 13:00:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20411337/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/12/30/ev-owners-in-wa-to-pay-extra-100-annual-fee/20411337/article-detail.xml 20411337 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/12/2011-nissan-leaf-first-drive_thumbnail.jpeg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/12/2011-nissan-leaf-first-drive.jpeg <![CDATA[Ward's columnist wonders if Americans can handle the truth about gas taxes]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/27/wards-columnist-wonders-if-americans-can-handle-the-truth-about/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/27/wards-columnist-wonders-if-americans-can-handle-the-truth-about/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/27/wards-columnist-wonders-if-americans-can-handle-the-truth-about/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



People have always had something of an aversion to hard truths. Most Americans say they want their country to get off foreign oil or help the environment, but when it comes to the bottom line, they want cheap fuel. And when the prices on gas pumps start to dip, consumer interest in smaller more efficient vehicles tends to go out the window. Understandably, drivers everywhere tend to make vehicle purchasing decisions in large part based on fuel prices.

Ward's Auto World columnist Drew Winters notes that executives like Bob Lutz have long advocated that fossil fuel prices need to increase in order to make more efficient vehicles appeal to consumers. But with U.S. consumers' almost instinctual avoidance of taxation, it has been difficult for politicians to consider such measures. Instead, it would appear that most constituents want government to mandate both more fuel efficient cars (through mechanisms like CAFE) and cheap gas without impacting the cost of automobiles themselves.

Winters paraphrases The End of Oil author Paul Roberts, noting that "every major fuel shift in history - from wood to coal to oil - was driven primarily by market forces, specifically by competitive advantages of the new fuel over the old." Thus, part of the solution may simply to make the fossil fuels more expensive relative to other energy sources.

Unfortunately, Winters surmises, it appears that nobody can handle this truth.

[Source: Ward's Auto World | Photo: GoodGreentips.com]

Ward's columnist wonders if Americans can handle the truth about gas taxes originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 27 Dec 2008 18:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cafecafe standardsCafeStandardsfuel pricefuel taxFuelPriceFuelTaxgas mileagegas pricegas pricesgas taxGasMileagegasoline taxGasolineTaxGasPriceGasPricesGasTaxtaxtaxationSat, 27 Dec 2008 18:57:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1410840/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2008/12/27/wards-columnist-wonders-if-americans-can-handle-the-truth-about/1410840/article-detail.xml 1410840 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/12/cheap-gas_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/12/cheap-gas.jpg <![CDATA[Oregon testing new GPS-based road tax system]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/03/27/oregon-testing-mileage-based-road-tax-system/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/03/27/oregon-testing-mileage-based-road-tax-system/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/03/27/oregon-testing-mileage-based-road-tax-system/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The Beaver State is investigating a new method of assessing taxes used to bankroll state highways. Instead of collecting money via gasoline taxes, Oregon is testing a GPS-based system which levels taxes based upon miles driven. By switching to such a system, the state would not lose revenue with every resident that purchases a more fuel efficient vehicle.

The 'black box' system keeps tabs on how many miles are racked up both in and out of Oregon's borders, as well as during rush hour, and levies taxes on the totals accrued. Predictably, the creation of a database that monitors the travel patterns of drivers raises some troubling privacy concerns, even for those who don't regularly harbor 'Big Brother' conspiracy theories.

As things stand, Oregon derives some 80-percent of its highway funding from its 24-cent-per-gallon tax, thus the move towards more fuel-efficient vehicles stands to negatively impact the state's coffers by millions of dollars.

What do you think, is this a viable alternative to standard gas-based taxation, or are the potential privacy issues too great to overlook?

[Source: UPI]

(Top tip, Chicken!)

Oregon testing new GPS-based road tax system originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 27 Mar 2006 20:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>beaver stateBeaverStategas taxgasoline taxGasolineTaxGasTaxGPSHighway taxHighwayTaxOregonMon, 27 Mar 2006 20:03:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/602931/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2006/03/27/oregon-testing-mileage-based-road-tax-system/602931/article-detail.xml 602931 http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/03/Oregon-State-Seal-resized_thumbnail.gif http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/03/Oregon-State-Seal-resized.gif -1 2