[Privacy] [Ubicomp] States Mull Taxing Drivers By Mile

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/02/14/eveningnews/main674120.shtml

Interesting, a dis-incentive to get hybrid cars. But now that I think about it, wouldn't it be far easier just to raise gas prices?



Officials in car-clogged California are so worried they may be considering a replacement for the gas tax altogether, replacing it with something called "tax by the mile."

Seeing tax dollars dwindling, neighboring Oregon has already started road testing the idea.

"Drivers will get charged for how many miles they use the roads, and it's as simple as that," says engineer David Kim.

Kim and his team at Oregon State University equipped a test car with a global positioning device to keep track of its mileage. Eventually, every car would need one.

"So, if you drive 10 miles you will pay a certain fee which will be, let's say, one tenth of what someone pays if they drive 100 miles," says Kim.

The new tax would be charged each time you fill up. A computer inside the gas pump would communicate with your car's odometer to calculate how much you owe.

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