Among the challenges facing governor-elect Purdue and the 2009 General Assembly is how to pay for roads and transportation needs, estimated at $65 Billion over the next twenty years. One idea being discussed by the 21st Century Transportation Committee is a tax on the miles a vehicle drives rather than (or in some circles, in addition to) the current gas tax on each gallon of gas purchased. Our Agenda 2008 discusses this and other options for paying for roads. Lawmakers in North Carolina always like to know what other states are doing as they consider any changes.
Oregon has recently completed a task force study and is moving forward with a tax on vehicle miles traveled. Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) has filed a bill for their upcoming legislative session that would move Oregonians toward a vehicle miles traveled tax. You can bet North Carolina decision makers will be watching Oregon and other states struggling to pay for roads and also hopefully studying Hood?s transportation reading list.
