this post was submitted on 30 Jul 2025
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Fuck Cars

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https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2025/07/23/koteks-transportation-plan-6-cent-gas-tax-increase-registration-fee-hikes-and-doubled-transit-tax/

I think increasing the payroll tax is a mistake. People who don't own a car should actually be rewarded because they pollute far less, they don't disable workers, they don't require traffic police, they don't emit CO2....

I would replace the payroll tax with a weight tax on huge SUVs.

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[–] SippyCup@feddit.nl 1 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Because they're not buying gas, the state is trying to reclaim some of that money.

[–] Pika@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 days ago

I understand this but, I don't understand why there is two fees for it. They have a 30$ electric vehicle fee on registration ontop of the existing cost, and then also plan to have an electric charge per mile fee later on. Like at that point remove or alter the 30$ charge to be all vehicles. They are trying to double dip.

[–] Zanathos@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Not to mention EVs can weight up to 500lbs more than a standard car with a full tank due to the batteries.

[–] wavebeam@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It should be noted that this is important because it means that EVs degrade infrastructure more than a lighter ICE. So while they don’t fuck up the environment from emissions as much, they cost more in repairs to roads and bridges and such without contributing to those funds through the gas tax.

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

No, this is BS. Type of vehicle matters much more than whether it’s an EV or not. My EV is lighter than the thousands of pickups I see every day so it’s unreasonable to make the argument that EVs are heavier.

Plus it’s specious to argue how much more damage an EV does to the road at something like +20% weight when trucks cause thousands of times the damage. Unless that EV is adding 40 tons, it’s effectively the same as any other car: orders of magnitude more than bicycles and orders of magnitude less than trucks

Just go by weight. It doesn’t matter where that weight is from or what technology makes up that weight

[–] wavebeam@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Right but ICE vehicles pay for every mile the use the roads through gas taxes. EVs do not

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

Even that’s not fair since efficiency isn’t the same thing as road usage. And one of the reasons gas taxes cover so little of the cost of roads is efficiency improvements over the last few decades.

Even before you take EVs into account, taxing by weight and mileage is more fair.

Then when you do take EVs into account, how do you adjust for usage, for road damage, and for your choice of vehicles? Is it fair to charge the same for a monstrous Hummer EV as for a Peugeot city car? Is it fair to pay the same for your Tesla driving 10k/year as for an ICE BMW of the same weight driving 30k/year? Taxing by weight and mileage is more fair for everyone

[–] potpotato@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Equinox EV vs ICE is about 1,500 lbs heavier or 33%.

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

Trying to find actual twins with actual data ….

First result is Hyundai Kona, with listed curb weight EV is 550 pounds heavier

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

I doubt it. I see the same thing in ai search results but on reading it, it actually says EV weight not posted and it estimates 1,500 pounds.

I tried looking up the vehicle and sure enough, weight not listed.

But the reason I doubt that estimate is a Tesla battery weighs about 1,200 pounds depending on model, and EVs typically save some of that weight from the engine and transmission.

I know an Equinox EV isn’t very efficient but I have a hard time believing that it adds more weight than an entire Tesla battery pack, saving nothing by removing engine and transmission …. Unless it’s not at all the same vehicle

[–] potpotato@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

CarAndDriver

1.5L 3452 lb

EV 4923 lb

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

That’s insane. Either Chevy is really shitty at building EVs or those are two very different vehicles with the same name

Still don’t think that’s representative

[–] hildegarde@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

If they're not buying gas they should not be paying gas taxes. That's the point. Reducing gas consumption is a good thing.

[–] Katana314@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

My understanding is that taxing gas is a decent proxy for taxing things like road wear or the need for road construction. So if 300 SUVs roll over a crack and turn it into a pothole, the funds for fixing that pothole come from the money they pay into tax at the gas station.

Since EVs skip that step, the tax is meant to represent that road wear, without the infrastructure or wars in the Middle East that goes into delivering gas.

[–] hildegarde@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 2 days ago

A better way of taxing would be without a proxy. Road wear is proportional to vehicle weight and miles driven. That's why I'm advocating for that.

Taxes are an incentive. Under my proposal being better saves money. Not buying gas lowers your tax. Driving less lowers your tax. Driving a lighter vehicle lowers your tax.

Being bad and driving a heavy, gas powered, car excessive distances becomes unaffordable. As it should.