Evans puts mileage tax on ice
Wednesday, Feb 20, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This is the second bill that I know of to be tabled this week. Yesterday, Rep. Monica Bristow (D-Alton) tabled a bill that would’ve required a DCFS investigation whenever a home-schooling registration form was submitted after an outcry from parents. And now this…
A bill that would test a mileage tax for vehicles driving on state roads has been tabled, but that doesn’t mean it’s dead.
Chicago Democrat Marcus Evans last week filed House Bill 2864, establishing a pilot program for a 2.1-cent tax on every mile a vehicle is driven on state roads.
But Evans tabled the bill Tuesday, saying he wanted to send the message that he’s not going to bring it back this session. “But if someone else wants to find a creative way to do that, then they can,” Evans said. […]
“This bill needs so much work — why have it out there?” Evans said. “Let’s just talk about the idea, and educate ourselves on what it is first. We can still have conversations, but not for bill purposes.”
The blowback on social media was pretty intense. He got his “conversation,” but it likely wasn’t what he expected.
- Steve - Wednesday, Feb 20, 19 @ 9:10 am:
For politicians like Marcus Evans there’s never a good time or place to cut government spending . Raising the cost of transportation on everyone sure is cruel .
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Feb 20, 19 @ 9:15 am:
Most Illinois politicians seem completely unable to understand that our state government spends too much.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Feb 20, 19 @ 9:19 am:
–Raising the cost of transportation on everyone sure is cruel .–
Not maintaining roads and bridges is negligent and reckless. The opposite of conservative.
I’m not in on a mileage tax. I think fuel efficiency should still be rewarded at the pump. You know, like conservation, root word being conservative.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Feb 20, 19 @ 9:20 am:
Yeah… this was not well thought out to a spoken rollout to this bill.
Sometimes a more “statewide” thought process to bills could help.
- Perrid - Wednesday, Feb 20, 19 @ 9:24 am:
I don’t hate either idea. Checking on the welfare of children is usually a good thing, and changing or updating a tax to deal with new(er) technology is usually a good idea too. It’s sad both got killed so early for no (good) reason.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Wednesday, Feb 20, 19 @ 9:25 am:
At today’s gas prices and average MPG, a driver would pay roughly the same under a 2c per mile mileage tax as they do with federal and state fuel and sales tax on gasoline. But as soon as this got out there, people thought the mileage tax would be ADDED to the pump taxes. It’s going to be a hard sell even when the message is presented perfectly, which it wasn’t.
- wondering - Wednesday, Feb 20, 19 @ 9:25 am:
The time for some kind of mileage tax is coming. From all indications electric vehicles will be dominate in the near future. While Evans’propasal is too cute for words…free ride for Chicago city dwellers,soak the rurals….it is not too early to start planning. As an electric owner I rationalize current no tax, pun intended, as incentive to go electric. But, this situation is not sustainable. We electrics need to pay and soon.
- A guy - Wednesday, Feb 20, 19 @ 9:29 am:
A few cents on a often fluctuating price of a gallon of gas is a less noticeable, and perceptively less painful approach to raising this kind of revenue.
For people outside the Chicago area who have to drive further for everything, from work, to groceries, to entertainment, etc. a “mileage” tax is more punitive. It can be argued, their trips are cleaner, not sitting in traffic, and their mileage is better and more efficient.
A mileage tax is a dumb idea that needs to go away. Pity the poor fool that wants to vote for this. It’s an easy one for people to understand. And they hate it.
- A guy - Wednesday, Feb 20, 19 @ 9:31 am:
I don’t have any idea why the “Electrics” can’t be treated differently to account for differences. Aren’t they already showing some kind of willingness to by being Electrics?
- Six Degrees of Separation - Wednesday, Feb 20, 19 @ 9:33 am:
Fuel efficiency is rewarded at the pump today; the less gas you buy per mile, the less fuel tax you pay. With an Electric/Hybrid fleet of less than 1%, the reward for being super-efficient can be absorbed by the remainder of fuel tax payers. When the EV fleet gets up around 10%, panic will set in on how to make up for the shortfall if it hasn’t already been addressed.
- Ducky LaMoore - Wednesday, Feb 20, 19 @ 9:55 am:
This is never going to happen. 1. It will be the end of supermajority status as well as make the governor extremely unpopular. 2. It will be so surprising how many people that live close to the border drive 80% of their time in Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri or Wisconsin *wink* *wink*. Not just an unpopular policy that will not work and make people angry, but a horrendous marketing job.
- Pot calling kettle - Wednesday, Feb 20, 19 @ 9:57 am:
==A mileage tax is a dumb idea that needs to go away. ==
So, do you think the commercial truck drivers should stop paying this way?
The biggest problem I saw with the bill was that 2.1 cents per mile would entice very few people into the pilot. It was too high.
- anon2 - Wednesday, Feb 20, 19 @ 10:03 am:
Owners of electric cars are free riders when it comes to paying for roads. Apparently it’s better for that to continue than to ask them to pay their share.
- wondering - Wednesday, Feb 20, 19 @ 10:39 am:
Anon2, 1003….where do you get that? We buy an electric, you demonize. I have yet to hear an electric owner argue for a free ride. Your comment shows ignorance and prejudice. Not 30 minutes ago I argued for taxing electrics.
- RNUG - Wednesday, Feb 20, 19 @ 11:39 am:
== I have yet to hear an electric owner argue for a free ride. ==
Don’t electrics already get a significant purchase price rebate from the Feds?
- Da Big Bad Wolf - Wednesday, Feb 20, 19 @ 3:06 pm:
What was the big fuss? It was voluntary, so if you don’t like the idea of a mileage tax you wouldn’t have volunteered anyway.
- wondering - Wednesday, Feb 20, 19 @ 3:22 pm:
RNUG….do your best to keep up and stay in lane. No,, not all electrics get a fed rebate, only 1st 200,000 from a given manufacturer. Besides, what is your point? Should not take it? You dont take the homestead exemption I presume.
- Blocked -try shorter again - Wednesday, Feb 20, 19 @ 3:55 pm:
@RNUG == I have yet to hear an electric owner argue for a free ride. ==
What’s your point.
Petroleum-fueled vehicles get a multi-trillion dollar federal free-ride through the DOD.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Feb 20, 19 @ 6:48 pm:
–Don’t electrics already get a significant purchase price rebate from the Feds?–
Full $7,500 tax credit expired Dec. 31. Cut in half, will be reduced by 50% every six months until gone.
- Michelle Flaherty - Wednesday, Feb 20, 19 @ 8:55 pm:
Ducky,
Tell it to the Missouri Republican congressman who’s been pushing a national VMT on Capitol Hill.
https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/congress/article204003334.html
- Six Degrees of Separation - Wednesday, Feb 20, 19 @ 9:36 pm:
Word, the $7500 credit expired for Tesla only, GM anticipated to be next, no other maker is close to the threshold yet. So as long as the program is enabled, there are a lot of tax credits to be had, depending on what you buy. And as you mention, it doesn’t disappear suddenly, it just phases out per manufacturer.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Feb 20, 19 @ 9:46 pm:
Six, thanks. I guess we’re all good on the tax credits when those Rivians start rolling off the line.