It makes no sense to penalize hybrid owners
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Your daily Letter to the Columnist — Jan. 25, 2013
Hello sir.
I have re-read your article from this past Sunday, “Reactions to McDonnell’s gas tax plan mixed.” I own a 2005 Ford Escape hybrid and am frustrated that Virginia wants to charge an extra $100 for owning a hybrid.
I purchased this vehicle for many reasons, two of which are saving gas and to be at least somewhat environmentally friendly. In the past, there have been tax cuts for owning a hybrid as an incentive to purchase. Granted, $100 isn’t much, but they should be giving a cut instead of adding a charge.
The Escape Hybrid uses much less gas and weighs less than a standard Escape, which translates to less wear on roads. Localities such as Nags Head, N.C. reward hybrid owners by providing a parking space closest to the front door of a local Food Lion.
They shoould do similar in other areas to encourage hybrid ownership. I am against the proposed changes in the Virginia gas and sales taxes. We will be paying more taxes over time with the changes.
Scott Fowler
Hardy, VA
January 25, 2013 - 1:30 PM
hey, it’s just a little redistribution of wealth…
poor people don’t buy hybrids, ya know.
seriously, what’s your beef?
We don’t need any more gas, we have enough that is generated from the liberal media.
I think Scott should check his stats…the hybrid version of the Escape weighs more than the conventional version (using the 2012 model year, the last that a hybrid was available for the Escape). Curb weight of the hybrid (Limited and Sport) is 3,850. Curb weight of the conventional is 3,536 for the XLS and Limited, and a much lighter 3,390 for the XLT.
I would personally love to see the fuels tax abolished, and replaced with a Vehicle-Miles-Traveled tax, with rate categories based on vehicle weights and types, to better apply taxes that fund highway construction and maintenance to the vehicles that cause the most physical wear on the roads. The fuels tax sort of gets that right, because heavy trucks at 50,000 pounds pull a low 5-7 mpg on diesel, while cars like mine that weight around 3,000 pounds get 35 mpg…but it’s not entirely representative. The problem with going to that method of taxation is how on earth does it get implemented, and how would the revenues for multi-state travel get distributed? Another government beaurocracy to handle it? No thanks.
Just change the gas tax rate and call it a day…rather than proposing all these seemingly random gimmicks.
Scott, when I put new energy efficent windows in my home in WV, the property tax went up $100.
Scott, you are saving money with that hybrid. Surely, you didn’t think you were going to get to keep it now did you?
Conversely, I put new windows in my home in Roanoke, and the tax didn’t go up any more than usual.
Fancy that.
But Scott, it’s only “fair”. First of all, only rich people can afford these cars and you know we must do something to get into the pockets of you rich folks. And for crying out loud anyhow, what’s a $100!
Other John, I’m going the other way. I like consumption-based taxes and don’t want to report yet another thing and give up more privacy. But you’re right with the miles driven thing.
Scott, I agree with you. And here is the clincher. It would be one thing to say that as a Hybrid driver you use less gas and gas tax is how we fund roads, so you should pay a penalty because you are using less gas. McDonnell’s plan, however, is to get rid of the gas tax altogether. If no one is paying a gas tax, then it makes no sense to penalize the Hybrid driver. This plan only makes sense if we keep the gas tax.
see how the libs dont like their own crap being forced on them….lol