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Oregon’s gas tax may need a tuneup. But it doesn’t need a complete overhaul, as is being proposed by the state’s head mechanic-in-chief, Gov. Ted Kulongoski. The governor’s budget proposal includes money to study switching from a gas tax to a mileage tax, which includes installing GPS monitoring devices in new vehicles. The governor assures us that the transition could not be made for a number of years, and we agree that Oregonians should be open-minded about ways to pay for services rendered. But the mileage tax fires on just too few cylinders to pursue at this time.
The funding concern the state foresees is genuine. That is, with reduced demand for gasoline, brought about from drivers switching to more fuel-efficient hybrids and electric vehicles, Oregon won’t raise enough money to keep highways, bridges and transit programs in good shape. What isn’t mentioned is that the gas tax could be raised. That move, however, is seen as political suicide. Thus, other, more subtle plans are being broached to raise the funds and make up for the expected future shortfall.
Here’s how the mileage tax would work, should it ever get up and running: New vehicles sold to Oregonians would be equipped with GPS transponders that would work wirelessly with service station pumps, so the tax could be paid at the pump. That step, however, could add to the cost for car buyers and gasoline station owners alike.
A bigger concern is that the devices would threaten privacy. State officials assure that the GPS transponders would not be used to track detailed movement and that driving history would not be stored and made accessible to law enforcement agencies. Still, the possibilities exist of Big Brother keeping an eye on every movement. That prospect, however remote, is chilling to many people.
Another concern is that years of promoting conservation, and buying more fuel-efficient cars, would be undermined. Just when progress is beginning to be made to upgrade the overall gas mileage of the Oregon fleet, a tax comes along to undermine incentives for conservation.
Another major concern is that if such a system is applied only to Oregon, and Washington, California and Idaho are not on board, Oregonians accustomed to taking vacations within the state would take their business elsewhere. Since mileage toward the tax would only count within the borders of Oregon, drivers would see incentive to taking their longer trips elsewhere. If the mileage tax system in not applied nationwide, drivers from other states would not pay a dime while they toured Oregon while Oregonians shouldered the entire bill for maintaining roads, bridges and transit programs.
Oregonians love their state. It would be a shame if a misguided tax forced Oregonians to take their recreation and vacation business elsewhere.
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Opinion 
