In a March 31 Review-Journal article, the director of the Nevada Department of Transportation and several others on a panel lamented the increased cost of building and maintaining roads in Clark County and the state. They said gasoline taxes were not bringing in enough revenue and consideration should be given to increasing them.
I was shocked that the failure to tax electric vehicles for their road use was not mentioned during the discussion. How long will we ignore the expansion of the use of electric vehicles, the purchase of which is subsidized by the government. These drivers don’t contribute to the construction and maintenance of the roads that they use in increasing numbers.
Why not create a mileage charge for all electric vehicles based on average gasoline mile per gallon usage by current passenger and larger vehicles? It would be fair to all road users and generate the additional funds that are needed now instead of penalizing owners of gasoline vehicles with the costs of keeping our roads up to date and safe. Electric vehicle owners could be required to provide actual mileage when registering the car and could be given the option of annual or monthly payments.
Why are our national and state leaders failing to address this fairness in taxation issue regarding electric vehicles?
