Wow! The Netherlands got rid of road taxes

[Sal Atticum]

to replace them with a GPS-measured "distance traveled" fee.

Cheaper By The Mile: Dutch Road Tax
written by mycena, edited by Humberto (Plastic) [ read unedited ]
posted 3 hours, 5 minutes ago
      
The Netherlands last week became the first sizeable economy to scrap all road and vehicle taxes, and replace them with a GPS-based system to tax motorists based on the distance driven.

Transport minister Camil Eurlings predicted that the system would cut the total kilometres driven in the country by 15 per cent, and carbon dioxide emissions by 10 per cent. He also predicted that 59 per cent of motorists actually would pay less under the new system in comparison to the previous road and vehicle taxes, saying "This is not a milking machine. The state won't get rich from it." Businesses would pay more, but this would be compensated for by fewer traffic jams.

Under the proposed scheme, a motorist would have to pay 1 euro per 33 kilometers (20.5 miles) in 2012. The amount of this fee will gradually increase to 1 euro per 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) in 2018. Clean cars will pay less, while dirty cars will pay more.

   
The Dutch system will work by installing GPS devices in cars in order to measure the distances they drive as well as the location and time of day, allowing for variable pricing at peak times in particularly congested areas.

World-wide, only Singapore has a comparable system. Germany (the LKW Maut system) and Austria operate road-pricing systems for heavy-goods vehicles; London is levying heavy congestion charges on inner-city traffic for quite some years now. Extension of that system to the whole of the UK has been postponed. The Dutch scheme would provide a solution to a dilemma governments are facing all-over the developed world: fuel taxes form an important part of tax income, yet car engines have to become ever more fuel-efficient to combat the global warming effect.

The initial press conference was made in a joyous atmosphere, with polls indicating a large majority (>80%) of all Dutch heavily in favour. Now, it seems the tide is turning, with newspaper De Telegraaf headlining Ordinary people victim again!

Think it would happen here?

[pmp6nl]

Wow, interesting.  I dont see this happening here anytime soon.  I think too many people would be worried about privacy related to a GPS device tracking them. 

How does it work for private property?

[Plantains]

Its been proposed already and they are very close to implementing something like this in Massachusetts. By close I mean, they've implemented many sorts of other such taxes, and this has been proposed (nationally) but I think its one of Barney Franks things.

[Sal Atticum]

Now that I think about this . . .

how is this different than just raising the tax on gasoline?