Vehicle Mileage Taxes Gaining National Attention
June 30, 2023
As the popularity of electric vehicles is steadily reducing the pot of money available from traditional vehicle fuel taxes to build and maintain highways, the federal government and some states are eyeing alternative funding methods, including charging motorists by the distance their vehicle travels rather than the fuel it consumes. In Issues, John Paul Helveston examines the case for vehicle mileage taxes, the technical and political challenges of implementing them, and ways to make them both practical and socially equitable. Importantly, he writes, “If we don’t act now, we’re likely to find ourselves with state-of-the-art cars on roads that are unfit for driving.”