Legislator proposes mileage tax to replace gas tax
By Holly Hobbs
The state is hemorrhaging money to pay for transportation projects. And with the state's budget facing almost a billion-dollar deficit, Del. David Poisson (D-northeastern Loudoun) says, it's time to plug the hole.Poisson proposed legislation Oct. 29 that would replace the state's fuel tax with a tax on automobile mileage.
“The aim is to find out what it is that we can do initially to stop the revenue lost,” the delegate said of his proposal.
The tax would go directly to transportation funding. Those drivers who use the roads the most will pay the most for them, Poisson said.
How to best track mileage is the question legislators will need to answer if Poisson's plan is approved.
He is calling for the creation of a joint subcommittee that would look into this question and answer others that may arise.
With the technology currently available, Poisson said, tracking mileage could be done at the pump, through Global Positioning Systems or annually during vehicle state inspections.
The problem that may arise with GPS is that not all drivers use them and it may be viewed as a violation of privacy, the delegate said.
Tracking at the pump also may have its obstacles, while state inspections would tax only Virginia drivers for using Virginia roads.
“The obstacles are the ones that any new idea faces: Why should we stop doing what we've been doing all along,” Poisson said. The problem, he said, is, “What we have will not carry us very far in the future.”
The General Assembly convenes in mid-January. During its three-month legislative session, lawmakers will be facing long hours of discussions on how to fund state projects like transportation, local leaders predict.
Contact the reporter at hhobbs@timespapers.com