It ain't Santa, boy and girls. It's Uncle Sam. As our good friend, Car Pundit, pointed out, the ability for the government to track your car-related movement is coming. It's coming to Oregon soon. Even California is considering doing the same (Californication, indeed).
So, what's the big whoop, right? Do you send in speeding fines if you blow past the posted speed limit? Do you tell your insurance company how many miles you really drive each year? Do you currently tell the government where you going at all times? All of this data will be available thanks to government-installed GPS devices that tally up your miles and then add a tax to your total bill once you fill up with fuel.
Along with the socio-economic problems of this proposal (the poor will pay a lot of this tax), there's bias against green vehicles and a major privacy issue. A major privacy issue.
Since hybrid or electric vehicles don't use as much fuel, the government needs to recoup the lost revenue. The problem with that is, these green vehicles are lighter than most other vehicles and therefore do less damage to the roads upon which they drive (let alone less damage to our lungs). What should be created is a is tax based on how big your vehicle is (weight, number of axels, etc.) and how much fuel it uses. How about doubling the gas guzzler tax? While no one wants to pay more for fuel, how adding another tax to the cost of fuel? It would be fair if we all paid the same amount for fuel but some were rewarded because they chose a vehicle that got exceptional gas mileage.
And then there's the privacy issue. Sorry, sphink, we just don't buy the comment of, "I don't mind the government knowing what I do at all times because I'm not doing anything wrong." If you think that, here's why you are stupid: 1. We have a right to privacy -- just because you don't value yours doesn't mean others feel the same way. 2. You are just plain stupid (we know that's recursive but... what? oh just look it up!).
Here's the bottom line: Government-installed tracking devices are a bad idea. Don't roll over for it.
Read these:
What's Scary About a Car Usage Tax in Massachusetts?
Down the Road to a Driving Tax
Wacky California Considers by-the-Mile Driving Tax
Oregon to test mileage tax as replacement for gas tax
Driving While Intaxicated
(Wired covered this 18 months ago! And they had the most-clever headline. Go Wired!)