Washington State -Tax on High Gas consumption?

[AZEqualizer]

According to an article on autobloggreen (http://www.autobloggreen.com/tag/washington-mileage-tax/) which reports their source as the Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

Legislators in Washington state want to put the hurt on people who buy vehicles that consume more fuel by charging a new annual tax that's weighted in inverse proportion to the vehicle's EPA fuel economy ratings. The more fuel a vehicle uses, the more it will cost the driver to register the vehicle.

[Lumberjack]

An idea whos time is long overdue, We should have done that back in the seventies.... Then again a simple dollar tax surcharge would have a lot more effect......

[Timon]

I'm all for it BUT I bet the courts will tell them that they have to grandfather in the sales prior to the law or at least phase it in over a few years..

[Derwin]

I wasn't going to jump-in on this, but I couldn't help myself!

Having people pay an extra "tax" or charge to register a vehicle that doesn't get good gas mileage is completely ridiculous in my humble opinion. Why should we punish the people just because they want to drive a nice vehicle?

Now, punishing AUTO MAKERS is another thing all together. I would agree completely on giving auto makers "INCENTIVES" for creating fuel efficient vehicles. These incentives can take many forms, including PENALTIES for putting vehicles on the market that don't reach a certain mpg rating. But then, if this were inacted, the automakers would pass this cost onto the consumer anyway.

I believe in FREEDOM and the FREE MARKET system that we have. If people wish to drive gas hogs, they should have the freedom to do so without being penalized by the government.

On the other hand, if people CHOOSE to buy fuel-efficient vehicles, the government should give them incentives for doing so. I am just not too big on the "penalty" thing. Reward people for buying fuel efficient vehicles, but please don't punish people for buying a gas hog (they are penalized enough by their gas consumption!).

Heck, if I had the money, I would get a Hummer H2 SUT. I simply LOVE this vehicle! It has all of the capabilities that I am looking for in a car. But due to the cost, AND the fact that it only gets around 8 mpg, I will never own one. I guess a question for the auto-makers would be....Why not build a vehicle like this that is capable of getting great gas mileage, AND sells for a reasonable price?

This is just my opinion, please don't anyone get offended!

Derwin

[MVRacing]

Biggest problem is they are talking about a tax of ~ $60 on a Prius up to $300 for a HUMMER ... Don't know how they came up with those number! The state had a budget surplus last year, but they are saying the tax is needed for Transportation ... road upgrades, mass transit etc

[wa3wheels]

Washington state should require bycycle riders to license their bikes, seeing how they have road rights as do cars,mc,trucks.

Just a thought

[Hardtime11]

Do not forget the the EPA now has a different mileage rating system for hybrids and such so they will actually be paying more now also.

[RAN]

The EPA changed their mileage rating system for cars too this year. Most models' mileage went down as a result.