VMT Fee

Imagine this: Replacing the sales tax on purchasing a new vehicle and annual, 'fixed' fees with a VMT fee based on size, weight, and CO2 emissions of the vehicle. This is the plan of the Dutch government to reduce congestion and greenhouse gases.

Robert McCartney reports on the coming onslaught of toll roads in the D.C. area, and the possibility of a 'vehicle miles traveled' option in the future.

That was the title the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation chose for a hearing on April 28. Panelists: Ray LaHood, DOT Secretary; Steve Heminger, MTC; Jame Corless, T4America; Ann Canby, STPP, and Ned Holmes, TX Transp. Comm.

Ray LaHood rejected raising the gas tax, then President Obama rejected a vehicle-miles-traveled fee. What's left is "out-of-the-box" ideas like tolling and public-private-partnerships.

The Christian Science Monitor editorializes in support of the VMT fee replacing the gas tax just as the latest federal transportation financing commission report recommends, as Oregon Governor Kulongoski hopes to do, and as some will do in Europe.

The National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission advises Congress that the U.S. is in an infrastructure crisis, and that they must raise the gas excise tax by ten cents now and begin the switch to a VMT fee.

Exactly a year after the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission released its report calling for a fuel tax hike, the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission calls for much of the same.

Oregon was the first state to study replacing state gas taxes with a Vehicle Miles Traveled fee in 2007. Now Gov. Kulongoski is taking the next step - introducing legislation to replace the 24-cent gas tax with a VMT fee that applies GPS technology.