Massachusetts has always been a little – we’ll call it different – when it comes to politics. And in some cases, it’s paid off. It’s true that you can drive through the state without being assaulted by billboard after billboard. And the state is, relatively speaking, free of litter and there’s very little in the way of sprawl. Compared to its neighboring states, Massachusetts is downright environmentally friendly. It may be about to go even greener… but going green has a price.
Massachusetts Governor Devan Patrick is considering a so-called “Hummer Tax” for residents of the Commonwealth. The tax would mean that those who drive more fuel-efficient vehicles would pay less in taxes, clearly providing an incentive to favor those vehicles over larger SUVs. If the controversial measure passes, it would be the first such tax in the nation.
Opponents of the bill say that it is an unfair penalty for a lifestyle choice: driving a bigger car. Proponents of the bill say that the choice is yours to make, but you need to pay for it.
Governor Patrick has also proposed a new gas tax, which would be a 19 cent bump. The tax, in conjunction with the revenue from the “Hummer Tax” would allow the state to overhaul its current transportation system, which proponent claim is in need of a $19 million facelift.
There’s no word yet on whether the bill has public support in the Commonwealth. Vocal opposition has so far only come from – not surprisingly – those who sell large SUVs. But then, the bill is still in the early stages.
Would you be in support of such a bill in your home state?
I just stopped by your blog and thought I would say hello. I like your site design. Looking forward to reading more down the road.
Thanks! I do hope you’ll come back.
I would absolutely support such a bill.
Kelly,
It’s Deval Patrick, with an “l.”
Are you serious? Like Deval? Okay… And I thought Devan looked odd!
SUV owners already pay in higher gas taxes. Governments are already too big. I wonder if all those government SUVs will be sold or kept on “tax-free.”
There are already too many taxes. In fact in some locals they tax taxes. In others they stopped naming taxes and just give them numbers.
As I see it, states and localities already impose taxes on other lifestyle choices (e.g. tobacco and liquor). I would think a “Hummer Tax” should be fair game
The MA transportation overhaul idea is actually very long needed to reduce waste, corruption and redundancy. They are talking about consolidating agencies that have overlapping functions and their own power plays going on. MA politicians have tried to fix this problem in the past to no avail because of power issues. With the economic downturn and the fact that the MBTA has been giving us 25% rate hikes every 3 years while still not being able to properly keep up the infrastructure and run the trains on time, Patrick and the legislators who want to fix the problem might now have a chance. But we really do need a lot of infrastructure work and it’s hard keeping a subway system as old as ours running. So the tax combined with consolidating the agencies are intended to both help fix our remaining infrastructure problems and keep jobs going during the downturn. I’m behind the hummer tax. If someone wants to be that wasteful, they should put up some money to go towards the problems they are exacerbating, which will eventually have to be paid for collectively.
So I have to sell my 8 passenger SUV and buy two Saturns to haul my wife and six kids somewhere? Better yet, eight motorcycles (they get over 100 MPG), though I’m not sure what to do with the two year old. There are a lot of reasons to drive a larger vehicle, including passenger capacity, towing capacity, cargo capacity, safety, comfort (ride from Washington to Detroit in the back seat of a economy car), decent traction in snow, …
This is typical “government knows best stupidity”. I pay more for my truck, I pay more for my license plates, I buy more gas and therefore pay more in gas taxes. Those are the economic trade-offs I made when I decided to buy a truck instead of a tiny car.
I’ve wanted to see such an SUV tax for a long time. Haven’t SUV drivers been getting *tax breaks* due to the light trucks loophole?
And to those whining about transporting their families, there’s a type of vehicle called a “mini-van” that gets better mileage, is less likely to flip over and is less likely to kill passengers in other vehicles if you hit them.