GPS And Taxes: An Intrusive Combination
By Cathryn Crawford (07/18/03)
Some things just aren’t that shocking anymore. Oregon, the state known for its law that fines you for speaking out against a public worker or a state official, has a new socialistic program in mind. It’s a dream come true for the government, both state and federal, in that it not only promotes the idea of Big Brother, but it also brings in plenty of cash for the bureaucrats to waste.
Oregon’s Road User Fee Task Force (what a name) is proposing that a GPS transponder be installed in every vehicle, and that every vehicle should be tracked and monitored so that “road taxes” may be paid for every mile the car is driven. In other words, for every mile you drive, you’ll be taxed. They might as well call it a fee for the privilege of moving about, because that’s exactly what it is. This new tax is proposed to cover the costs of road repairs – obviously, the already high gas taxes aren’t enough.
The practical problems with this are myriad. What if your car is stolen? Are you going to be expected to pay for the 500 miles that jerk drove your car? What would be done about out of state vehicles? Are they let off the hook? Are they supposed to stop at the border to have a GPS installed, then stop at the other side and have it taken out? What if someone else borrows your car? Do you have to pay his taxes? Who’s going to pay for the installation of the GPS system – wait, now there’s an answer that’s easy to figure out!
The fact that this idea is being promoted by a Democratic governor is no surprise. After all, this is also a dream come true for the environmentalists – when drivers stop going places because it’s costing them so much, the great Satan of pollution will be reduced, right?
Of course, the bureaucrats in Oregon are sure that the tracking devices will never be used in a way that will in any way curb our civil liberties (insert eye-rolling here). Of course not! Don’t you trust the government? How dare you suspect their motives? Just because they’re going to know exactly what you do and where you go doesn’t mean they’ll actually use that knowledge against you one day! It’s all safe in the hands of the government, just like your money.
And even if they do, it’ll only be for legal purposes. After all, as Jim Whitty, the administrator of RUTF, said - it would only be used to track you “if there was a police necessity, perhaps.” Interesting. I wonder what Whitty constitutes as a necessity - and why is he so vauge about the entire issue?
This may have a snowball’s chance in hell of being implemented soon in Oregon, but the fact that an idea like this is even being considered and suggested is a serious problem. Once it goes on record as a viable way to bring in money, this idea will be refined and rehashed until someone, somewhere – perhaps not in Oregon, perhaps in your state, perhaps in the federal government – decides that it needs to happen. Then, every mile that you drive will be another contribution to the already engorged government, and every move you make will be recorded for the vauge purposes of “police necessity”.
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