Shots Across The Bow

Zombies Would Starve in Nashville

Apparently there's a tremendous shortage of brains in our State Legislature. Via Michael and Uncle, I see that our best minds (god help us all) are proposing to monitor by GPS our every move and then tax us per mile traveled because:

"Gas tax revenues are static, and they don't necessarily increase with the transportation needs that have to be met," said Sen. Mark Norris

What a tool.

What he doesn't realize is that not only is this a non-problem, his solution is functionally identical to the existing system!

Except of course for the tremendous violation of our privacy.

Allow me to explain, and I'll use short, simple words for the legislators in the room. The revenues aren’t static, period. The revenues from the gas tax track with consumption, meaning the more gas we buy, the more taxes we pay.

Follow me so far Sen. Norris?

Now then, unless you let your car sit in your driveway and idle all day, the same way our legislators seemingly allow their brains to lie idle all day, you burn gas when you drive. The more miles you drive, the more often you have to fill up.

Is this starting to sound familiar, Sen?

So, the more miles you travel, the more gas you buy, and the more tax you pay. Taxing by the gallon produces exactly the same revenue stream as taxing by miles traveled.

Did you follow that Sen Norris, or should I simplify it more for you and your idiot colleagues?

The only thing "static" about the tax is the amount per gallon sold, and there's no sane reason why that should fluctuate.

Of course, sanity is not something I've come to expect from legislators.

Posted by Rich at December 1, 2006 2:35 PM | TrackBack