A new road charge mooted for electric vehicle drivers is based on a fundamental misconception.

A specific road use tax on EVs and hybrids makes no sense.

Given the harms caused by traditional vehicles, society should welcome the decline in fuel excise revenue caused by the transition to EVs – in the same way we should welcome declining revenue from cigarette taxes.

Vehicle registration fees make only a modest contribution to road costs. That’s why all motorists should pay a road-user charge. The payment should be based on a combination of vehicle mass and distance travelled

  • Hirom@beehaw.orgEnglish
    1·
    2 days ago

    Have you heard of toolbooths?

    There are variations that require neither self reporting nor tracking cars. Grab a ticket uppon entering the highway. Feed the ticket in the exit booth and pay with cash or credit card. The machine uses the ticket to compute the distance.

    • Geobloke@aussie.zoneEnglish
      1·
      2 days ago

      Well yeah, but most of my driving is around the suburbs or the small country roads near my house, no complaints I guess, but i wouldn’t be paying my fair share of road use.

      Plus to cover the full road network seems like a huge expense. I mean you could fund it using a carbon tax, but I feel like paying for tollboths is not good bang for buck in carbon abatement

      • Hirom@beehaw.orgEnglish
        1·
        2 days ago

        I’m unaware of any country that setup a road toll infrastructure on small road, tollbooth or otherwise.

        This is only for highways and major roads.