With the 21st Century Transportation Committee recommending a Vehicle Miles Tax (VMT) as one possible way to increase transportation funding, we decided to try and test the voters' sense of the concept.
And, by and large, they don't like it. Or don't understand it.
70 percent of voters had an unfavorable opinion of the concept. Only 21 percent were warm to the idea.
And the opposition to it is across the board: white, black, Democrats, Republicans. It's pretty consistent through all demographics.
Either way, an attempt to implement a VMT this year is going to be an uphill climb. Check out the full release here.
As we've said here before, we understand the need for a VMT in the future and are supportive of the idea as a replacement for the gas tax. But the voters are going to need much more education on the concept before any movement can be made.
A VMT is a terrible way to earn money. By allowing any government entity to have that type of access to personal habits is unimaginable. Once government has that type of access it will balloon out of control. Next they will be tracking our locations. What comes next, they take away our free movement?
I think the comment by Daniel Virag on February 7, 2009 is appropriate enough. It sounds like the government is going from a democracy to a socialist. They want to nationalize the banks, take your guns away, give your money you earn to people who don’t work and tax you more than ever because of the ‘stimulus’ bill. With the stroke of a pen, he put our lives as well as your children and grandchildren in debt that I will guess that will never be paid off.