Can't make this stuff up...

Just saw this over at JustOneMinute, un-freaking-believable! I will summarize...

So in Oregon gasoline prices and gas taxes have been pushing people to buy these new hybrid cars that are more fuel efficient. This has had the affect of reducing the collection of gas taxes, upsetting some people in state government.
Estimates show that by 2025 at the latest, state and federal fuel efficiency measures to reduce oil consumption and emissions of heat-trapping gases like carbon dioxide will cut per-mile gas costs by 15 percent to 25 percent, according to the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies. Less conservative projections suggest that those cost reductions could happen by 2015 or earlier, depending on the pace of sales of fuel-efficient cars.

Reduced consumption would undoubtedly result in a huge hit to the tax dollars collected by many states, which rely on gas taxes to pay for most highway costs — particularly states on the West and East Coasts. In Oregon, for example, 80 percent of the state highway money comes from its gas tax.

So to make up for this problem the state is mulling over a new tax called "the vehicle miles traveled tax" if you can believe that. How will they calculate the mile traveled you ask? Simple, they will install a GPS system in every new car. No privacy concerns there I am sure. This has gotten a lot of the people who forked over the extra money for these hybrids a little angry.

Can't imagine why.

And check out this gem from the NY Times article;
It is too early to know whether such a system would discourage people from buying fuel-efficient vehicles. Mr. Whitty said he had heard of some drivers of fuel-efficient vehicles being upset. Others, though, were feeling guilt about having paid fewer taxes than most drivers, he said.

Some people feel guilty for paying less taxes than others?
GIVE. ME. A. BREAK.

CBS News covered this story last year and Wired did 3 years ago.

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