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| Thread ID: 111786 | 2010-08-11 21:51:00 | E- Cars = Lower Highway Funds | SurferJoe46 (51) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 1126725 | 2010-08-11 21:51:00 | In the US - and maybe Upsidedown Land too - the highways are built/maintained and repaired by fuel taxes on a per-gallon basis . Here's an interesting article on the newest flummox to affect the general population of trench dwellers: The U . S . Department of Transportation has a faulty business model when it comes to funding highways . And the problem will only get worse as electric cars start hitting the road in 2011 and more efficient automobiles proliferate . Assuming cars like the Chevrolet Volt {see footnote} and Nissan Leaf—not to mention a bevy of electric vehicles coming after those two automobiles—become successful the Highway Trust Fund is going to have big problems . The Highway Trust Fund is the source of funding for most of the U . S . government’s surface transportation programs . The fund itself gets its money from gas taxes: every time you go to the pump, you pay a federal and state tax . These taxes fund highway maintenance and repair on the federal and state levels . Shooting themselves in both feet this time - I guess they'll dip into the Social Security pool for some more $$ . Great gunzels! Now I bet I don't get my annual SS cost-of-living raise again next year! FOOTNOTE: The Chevy Volt requires premium fuel - which can sometimes be $1 . 00 (NZ= 4 lambchops) more here in the States . LINK ( . smartplanet . com/business/blog/smart-takes/how-electric-cars-could-pull-the-plug-on-us-highway-funding/9678/" target="_blank">www . smartplanet . com) |
SurferJoe46 (51) | ||
| 1126726 | 2010-08-11 22:02:00 | Yes, roads are funded here (along with a multitude of other things) by taxes added to the price of a litre of fuel (diesel is different), but there aren't to many electric cars here yet . A few Prius's and Insights but they still use petrol . However, I wouldn't be surprised if the government agency looking after the money grab is working on a cunning plan to extract even more dosh from our wallets for even less return to us . . . After all, that's their job . :( |
johcar (6283) | ||
| 1126727 | 2010-08-11 22:30:00 | RUC problem solved |
pablo d (15490) | ||
| 1126728 | 2010-08-11 22:57:00 | Road User Charges (for the benefit of Joe) in their current state (for diesel vehicles) are a joke. There would have to be an equitable way of assigning them to all vehicle types and a cheap and effective way of collecting them. I'll bet there are a huge number of non-commercial diesel vehicles on the road that are not up-to-date with their RUC... |
johcar (6283) | ||
| 1126729 | 2010-08-11 23:05:00 | Road User Charges (for the benefit of Joe) in their current state (for diesel vehicles) are a joke. There would have to be an equitable way of assigning them to all vehicle types and a cheap and effective way of collecting them. I'll bet there are a huge number of non-commercial diesel vehicles on the road that are not up-to-date with their RUC... not insurmountable obstructions...not worth donning the end-is-nigh suit for anyway. |
pablo d (15490) | ||
| 1126730 | 2010-08-11 23:30:00 | not insurmountable obstructions . . . not worth donning the end-is-nigh suit for anyway . I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that you didn't READ that article at all - right? Think GPS . |
SurferJoe46 (51) | ||
| 1126731 | 2010-08-11 23:38:00 | - which can sometimes be $1.00 (NZ= 4 lambchops) more here in the States. Your lamb chops are cheaper there than here or pathetically small. |
mikebartnz (21) | ||
| 1126732 | 2010-08-11 23:38:00 | I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that you didn't READ that article at all - right? Think GPS. not at all |
pablo d (15490) | ||
| 1126733 | 2010-08-11 23:44:00 | Ah. "a GPS device in your car would track your mileage and tax you accordingly" George Orwell was a little premature in his predictions.... |
johcar (6283) | ||
| 1126734 | 2010-08-11 23:48:00 | Tolls in Ozzy take a snapshot of your license plate and do this already, and charge it to your credit card The quality of the highways reflects the money they make from this system |
Gobe1 (6290) | ||
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