Dutch Government To Tax Drivers Based On Car Use

An anonymous reader writes "The Netherlands is testing a new car use tax system that will tax drivers based upon how much they drive rather than just taxing the vehicle itself. The trials utilize a little box outfitted with GPS, wireless internet, and a complex rating system that tracks a car's environmental impact, its distance driven, its route, and what time it is driven as a fairer way to assess the impact of the vehicle and hopefully dissuade people from driving. The proposal will be introduced slowly as a replacement for the current car and gas tax, however it is most certainly controversial and will be a real test of how far environmentally savvy Dutch citizens will be willing to go to reduce the impact of the car."

Comments

Movement won't be a reliable measure

[LoadWB]

Putting an environmental impact fee (tax) on fuel would be a more reliable compensation for your impact than GPS. If I sit idling in my car for a few hours I can burn an entire tank of gas without moving an inch.

For what will the GPS tracking *really* be used?

They gotta know where you are all the time

[Colin Smith]

No really. It's for your own good.
 

Re:This was proposed in Oregon

[skids]

and how would you measure that without a GPS odometer in every car?

Easy. By taxing tires.