Minnesota is addicted to oil through the gas tax. This is a ridiculous way to spend $5 million. Look at the sales tax for revenue and bump it up. Why go through all these gyrations for something that could be so hard to implement? And why spend $5 million now when we need to balance the budget?

Do you really want the government tracking your every move? This is truly scary. I hope I don’t live long enough to see something like this get implemented. So long to the land of the free.

gimme a phone, and don’t charge the gas tax!!! I’ll show you where I drive, I have NO PROBLEM with that. Anything that makes gas cheaper is GOOD!!

They can track me all they want, just a waste of their time. It would make too much sense to get taxed based on how much you use something.

Yay, now when you will carpool, you can pay just as much tax. Take the bus? Same tax. Walk? Pay that mileage tax.

instead of coming up with new ways to tax the working class,why not just close ALL the tax loopholes for the rich?

Can they affix these to bicycles so they can also pay for roadway usage?!?! That would be awesome! Instead of all the benefits and no cost (to them) they can pay their way.

I think it’s a good idea. The “up keep” should be paid for by those who use them. Too bad those darn bicycles don’t wear out the rode surface. Good try though.

Time to return to riding horses! They only need cheap dirt roads. Oh, wait, we’d probably have to pay a tax on the road apples….

A mileage tax would be very unfair to those of us that live in rural Minnesota. We don’t have a grocery or hardware store in our “neighborhood” let alone a church or doctor’s office. Instead we have to drive significant distances for these services that the metro areas have close by

We all use roads, whether we personally drive on them or not. Our food and supplies get delivered via roadways. People that ride the bus or take a taxi are also using the road. We all use the roads in some form or another and should share equally in its maintenance and new construction. Since businesses make a profit while using the roads they should help out by paying more than a private resident. No more gax tax; send out monthly road maintenance bills.

Can anyone clue me on the difference between this and a privately funded toll road which is pay-per-use… I’m just curious what arguement is used for private vs. public in such a situation… It’s my understanding that private toll fares provide upkeep for that road and that road only, but government (could) take the so called toll and use it for something completely different (education/welfare/stadium) etc… Just looking for opinions and clarity…

Just charge GE an income tax. That will cover everything, plus we could build flying cars with the leftover funds.

I think this is one of those rediculous taxes that the colonists left England for.
Seriously. Mileage Tax?
Get real.
They have no understanding on how many people in the cities will pull out their bicycles and begin pedaling to and from work.

If they tax our mileage, we are truly no longer free citizens, FREE to go wherever we wish when we wish. Are they trying to make the lower income people and rural people shut in’s for affordability?

Don’t give them their test subjects, People.
You would be putting the taxation noose around your own necks if you do.

The next steps of the Obama socialist movement. Tax drivers, force light rail.

I see the future, air tax, grass tax, oh wait we need to pay for mindot to drive a full size truck to watch construction, or take a picture, or go to lunch. Why cant the state start with themselves, drive smaller cars, heck why dont you record state vehicle habits? That would be something to see.

The report comment button is much easier than trying to agrue your phoney prejustice. Typical liberals, it’s nothing for us to worry about though, we are waiting for the next election, this was the experiment we needed.

I’m sure my 2004 saturn has the same effect a a 50 ton oversize load. Let’s really tax the heck out of couriers, deliverymen etc. It’s about time we taxed these rich a-holes!

Funny comments. I like the idea of a “user fee” or “travel impact fee” for the people that drive the most. Driving is a privilege not a right. Its about time that havier users start to pay their fare share for the roads they use. Everything in life is a decision. You are free to live wherever you want so I am not concerned about how much you will have to pay under this model. You could have chosen to live in the metro and have transit options available. I chose to buy an Escalade and get crappy gas mileage but I am also wise enough to use the bus to get to and from work. While the bus does not fully pay for it self through fares, neither do automobiles pay for themselves through the gas and registration taxes levied upon them either.

The “Big Brother” argument, puhleaze. Do you own a cellphone? Trackable. You see all those cameras at various intersections? I thought so.

How many of you whining about this also want to ban abortion and institute a photo ID for voting? Really, you want the government to be able to track your votes but yet somehow you won’t be free to travel because of paying for a mileage based travel tax????Do you still support the war on drugs after the billions of dollars wasted? Republicans are the biggest hypocrites ever.

From a Libertarian

This is just great…we will get taxed like crazy when we fill our tanks, and then taxed again when we drive anywhere. Let’s just keep adding taxes on the backs of the middle class. Why cut spending when we can just raise taxes! (sarcasm)

People that drive electric cars already are being taxed by paying the electric bill. Not only will they have to pay the sales tax on the electricity but a mileage tax too. The government should be encouraging people to drive electric cars. Once again the government head is stuck up their …….

Just another subtle environmental policy; tax the gas hogs! Who cares if that includes blue collar workers that have to drive trucks for their equipment. The government istrying to punish SUV drivers, yet they end up making it virtually impossible for truckers to make any money. Do they want us to go back to the prairie days where we only ate the food that we grew on our land, because the cost of shipping any food will skyrocket. I’m pretty sure an electric or hybrid car is incapable of hauling much weight. Unbelievable!!

These comments are a perfect example of why there will never be tax reform. A program is setup with the idea of having everyone pay the same based on use and conservatives are against it because it has the word tax. The current gas tax penalizes people with poor MPG, the proposed plan bases it on usage. Seems like a fair concept except is doesn’t account for interstate travel. I hope those worried about the gov’t tracking them have thrown out their smart phones and garmins. Probably shouldn’t be commenting on the internet either, they’re watching you.

This punishes those of us who are forced to drive for our job. Its another tax on the hard working middle income citizens. DON’T DO IT!!!!

I drive 30 miles one way to work every day. I’m not in a position to live near my work since the houses there are too pricy, and barely anything worthwhile near my current residence is hiring or has decent enough pay or benefits. I should have to pay more for road usage than someone who lives close enough to their work, know people who work when and where they do or said areas are a part of a system for using alternate transportation i.e. carpool, taxi, city bus, light rail, walking. And by the way as a few others have pointed out this “tax” is IN PLACE OF THE GAS TAX NOT ADDED TO IT. It just plain makes sense.