TAX POLICY * USA - Pennsylvania drivers could be taxed on miles traveled, not gas usage

"Taxing motorists on the miles they drive -- rather than the gas they use -- could provide a more stable source of funding for transportation"

Pittsburgh,PENN,USA -The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, by Tom Fontaine -April 5, 2011: -- Taxing motorists on the miles they drive -- rather than the gas they use -- could provide a more stable source of funding for transportation, the chairman of the state House Transportation Committee said yesterday... Because many new vehicles use less gas, experts predict per-gallon gas-tax revenue will taper off or even drop... Similar studies have been conducted in Oregon, Washington and Georgia, though no states have implemented a program... The report conceded it would require a lot of time and money to get metering equipment in all vehicles, and the equipment could fuel privacy concerns. Collecting vehicle-mile taxes would likely be more costly and complicated than fuel taxes, the report said... But revenue from vehicle-mile taxes could be less volatile than per-gallon taxes as vehicle fuel efficiency improves, the report said...   (Photo from octa.net: Traffic congestion on the Riverside Freeway)