Carolina Politics Online

The 21st Century Transportation Committee approved a package of money raising proposals Wednesday afternoon that includes a tax on the number of miles a car travels each year.

The special panel, made up of lawmakers and non-legislators alike, will hold a final vote on the recommendations on Dec. 10 before sending them on to the legislature. The vehicle miles tax would be collected during the car’s annual inspection and would replace or supplement the current gas tax, which has produced less money than in the past because of fuel efficiency, a cap on the tax and, more recently, declining fuel prices.

The N&O

Wow, how freakin’ great is that? All you rural NCers who need to drive 20 miles round trip to get to the store, get ready for more taxes. All you businessmen who need to drive for your job, get ready for more taxes. Hell, if you drive out of state a lot, you’ll have to pay taxes for NOT driving on North Carolina’s roads! The end result will, of course, be less money in the state’s economy (either through higher taxes or fewer people going out), which will be just super as we try to pull out of a recession.

Did I mention that North Carolina already has the highest taxes in the southeast?

This is still a proposal, which means there’s still time to kill it. Here’s a list of the people on the Transportation Committee. Why don’t you email them and tell them how you feel?

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