Bill Text: NJ ACR21 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges Congress and President to avoid the imposition of nationwide vehicle miles traveled tax.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-01-16 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee [ACR21 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-ACR21-Introduced.html
ASSEMBLY CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 21
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
216th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2014 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman PARKER SPACE
District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)
Assemblywoman ALISON LITTELL MCHOSE
District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)
SYNOPSIS
Urges Congress and President to avoid imposition of nationwide vehicle miles traveled tax.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
A Concurrent Resolution urging Congress and the President of the United States to avoid the imposition of a nationwide tax on vehicle miles traveled.
Whereas, The current United States Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood is considering the imposition on motorists of a nationwide vehicle miles traveled ("VMT") tax, also known as a distance-based user charge, that would make them pay a user fee for every mile they drive and which would either replace or supplement the gas tax; and
Whereas, The imposition of a VMT tax could require every motor vehicle to be equipped with a global positioning system ("GPS") tracking device and transponder that would record motor vehicle mileage and charge motorists accordingly; and
Whereas, The mandatory installation of GPS devices in motor vehicles would constitute an invasion of individual privacy, as they could be used to track the locations and movements of motorists; and
Whereas, The implementation of a nationwide VMT tax would require a major financial investment by the federal government as the costs associated with the technology and equipment; data and payment collection; and security and enforcement that are necessitated by a VMT tax would be enormous; and
Whereas, The current primary source of transportation funding, the gas tax, has many features that give it an advantage over the VMT tax, including a broad application to all motorists; ease of payment, administration, and collection; minimal evasion or avoidance; protection of privacy; and a minimal burden on businesses; and
Whereas, At least one study has concluded that the VMT tax, which has been implemented through a pilot program in Oregon, is more regressive than the gas tax, in that it imposes a disproportionate burden on low income populations; and
Whereas, There is no guarantee that the replacement of the gas tax with a VMT tax is the solution to concerns over the instability of federal transportation funding, since motorists will continue to drive less as the price of gas increases; and
Whereas, The imposition of a VMT tax to replace the gas tax would serve as a disincentive to purchase more fuel-efficient vehicles and undermine the progress that has been made in recent years toward the greater use of such vehicles, since motorists would pay a fee based on how much they drive rather than on how much fuel they use, thus eliminating much of the cost savings that motorists can currently realize through the use of fuel-efficient vehicles; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey (the Senate concurring):
1. The Legislature of the State of New Jersey urges the United States Congress and the President of the United States to avoid the implementation of a nationwide tax on vehicle miles traveled.
2. Duly authenticated copies of this concurrent resolution, signed by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the General Assembly and attested by the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the General Assembly, shall be transmitted to the President of the United States, the United States Secretary of Transportation, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of New Jersey.
STATEMENT
This concurrent resolution urges Congress and the President of the United States to avoid the imposition of a nationwide tax on vehicle miles traveled ("VMT"). A VMT tax charges motorists a fee based on the number of miles driven and could serve as a new source of transportation funding to either replace or supplement the gas tax. The implementation of a VMT tax would result in an invasion of motorists' privacy since global positioning systems would be installed in every motor vehicle and be used to track motorists' locations and movements. The VMT tax would be extremely costly to administer and could pose a disproportionate tax burden on low-income populations. The tax could also serve as a disincentive to purchase more fuel-efficient vehicles, since motorists would pay a fee based on how much they drive rather than on how much fuel they use.
