biododge1

here is a way to look at bio. the tax i don't pay in fuel is nothing compared to the extra pollutants a truck running #2 puts out. as for hybrids, it's not my fault you use 35 gal. to go 400-500Miles. so why schould i pay more tax, just because i can go 700-800 miles on 10.5 gals. how clean is the average cars exhaust-it's not, especially if comparing co%. my ride is allowed 0.1% co, the rest is nitrogen & water.

REF>Lancer

Its only more exspensive if you get caught

Ridgerunnerras

This is simply not true. let me explane. if I have a CTD thats get 20 MPG and I drive 100 miles per day I use 5 gals a day and I pay my road tax.

I then decide to drive my 2005 Golf TDI to work at 46 MPG so buy your logic becuse decided to drive a car with better MPG I am paying less tax per mile driven. I now am making you pay more tax.

This is the same as what would happen buy running off road fuel

so if everone traded in the Fuel Hog for a Fuel Sipper then we could not fix the roads or our taxes would have to go up.

The only way It would be fare would be to charge tax buy mile driven and vehicle weight.

just .02

RustyJC

Your TDI probably weighs 1/2 as much as your CTD; therefore, your fuel tax paid is approximately proportional to the wear and tear you're generating on the public roads.

The fuel tax is as close to a user fee as can reasonably be accomplished. Those who drive farther and/or drive heavier vehicles use more fuel and pay more tax. That sounds pretty fair to me.

Rusty

XLR8R

Yeah, but your TDI isn't going to wear out the road nearly as fast as the CTD!

Chrisreyn

Hasnt his whole topic been a littel beaten to death and beyond by now????

RustyJC

No more so than any other "red fuel" thread.

Rusty

Moparmax

XLR8R, The problem that I have with the logic that the smaller cars don't do as much damage to the roads as the larger trucks, is here in AK you have ruts in the roads that can't be made by any large trucks due to the width of them. In my 98 Ram if I have one tire in one of the ruts; my other tire is on the outside of the other.

There is a section of the Glenn Highway called Eagle River hill, They repaved it this fall and it has already returned back to the condition that caused them to repave it.

Just my$.02

MM

XLR8R

Hmm - we don't have ruts in our roads... and the repairs/construction around here are good for at least a year or two

Seriously, though - you should make your point in terms of surface loading.

Lunyfringe

the problem there is the asphalt mix they used- they have to get the mix right in Alaska, because of the temperature variations between the seasons... it's not so bad in Anchorage/Eagle River, but Fairbanks- 80 Degrees in the summer, to -50 in the winter?

they simply used too soft of a mix, trying to prevent cracks... so it 'flows' in the summer..

my uncle used to work for DOT in Alaska- for 35 years... he described that the soft mixes are great where you get frost heaves- it doesn't crack, just follows the heave...but in the summer it's too soft and won't stay where you put it...

I agree the system isn't perfect- some pay more than their fair share, and others manage to avoid it altogether (electric cars, homebrew biodiesel)- but overall it's what the gov't decided to do, and it was made into law, so if you break it- they can break you (or at least your bank acct)

similar rules apply to Alcohol distillation- you can apply for a still permit from ATF... and make your own ethanol fuel- as long as you add something to "denature" the alcohol (make it undrinkable), then you don't pay the $13.5 per proof-gallon (so $27 per gallon of pure Ethanol)

and what's funny is you can apply for a tax credit if you use ethanol as a road fuel (so they PAY YOU to use it). so if you make your ethanol to drink, you have to pay taxes, but if you want to use it as fuel, they pay you... but those are the rules-

Shovelhead

"Fuzzy Logic"
The BIG difference is that it isn't ILLEGAL to drive your VW Diesel.
It IS however illegal to run red on the road.
We all realize at this point that those who want to run Red WILL run Red no matter what anyone else posts.......

This one is done.