Increasing vehicle standards means decreasing gasoline usage--and tax revenues. A new report suggests that a wholesale rethinking of how we pay for transportation infrastructure may be in order.
The study, released by University of Virginia's Miller Center of Public Affairs, points to a growing problem in transportation funding. Gasoline taxes have historically served as a user's fee, with taxes paid roughly proportional to miles driven, but with today's more fuel efficient vehicles, a mismatch between taxes paid and services consumed can occur.
The report suggests a better solution might be taxing vehicle miles traveled. Emily Badger writes:
'What's needed now is not a higher gas tax, but a whole new way of looking at how we pay our fair share for using public roads We shouldn't fill road coffers according to how much gas we buy, but how many miles we drive.'
FULL STORY: Transportation Theorists Rally Around Vehicle-Miles-Traveled Tax
California Poised to Lose Up to $4 Billion in Gas Tax Revenue
States must find other ways to fund transportation projects as the transportation sector moves toward decarbonization.
Survey Finds Growing Support for a Mileage Fee Over the Gas Tax
An annual survey by the Mineta Transportation Institute found new levels of support for a change in the way the federal government raises money from, and for, highway infrastructure.
The Looming Era of VMT
The gas tax is becoming an increasingly outdated and unsustainable idea. This piece from Miller McCune looks at the prospect of replacing it with a tax based on vehicle miles traveled.
Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
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Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
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